Minnesota Vikings have a dire need at a key position, and the options are dwindling at a rapid pace
The biggest need for the Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings have a glaring hole at edge rusher, and the preseason tape is making it impossible to ignore. Dallas Turner and Andrew Van Ginkel form one of the better starting duos in the NFL, but behind them, the depth is concerning. Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins hasn’t proven that he can be that guy. The problem has been building all offseason, and the Week 1 preseason game against the New York Giants laid it out clearly: they need another edge rusher.
Across the league, veteran edge rushers are being scooped up quickly, with Von Miller to the Dallas Cowboys and Za’Darius Smith to the Atlanta Falcons in the last 48 hours. It’s becoming more urgent for the Vikings to make a move happen.
Dallas Turner’s elevated role creates a void
When the Vikings traded Jonathan Greenard to the Philadelphia Eagles, the expectation was that Turner would step into that starting role. That process is fine, as Turner earned it. The issue is replacing Turner’s previous role, which will account for somewhere in the neighborhood of 500 to 600 snaps. Last season, Turner played over 700 snaps because Greenard missed five total games with injuries, including a labrum issue that knocked him out of the final three games and five overall. Turner also had to step up when Van Ginkel missed time, which launched him above the 700 snaps.
Having that kind of versatility is great, but you have to replace it. Doing so with Ingram-Dawkins has not proven fruitful. The film against the Giants was rough, and it was rough in ways that should have been predictable.
Ingram-Dawkins is a talented player who can function as a 12 and 13 personnel buster, lining up at the 7 or 9 technique and attacking tight ends. He bulldozed Josh Oliver during training camp for a tackle for loss. Those are great assets, but he is not quick enough to set an edge the way an outside linebacker-type edge rusher should. When he tries to get off blocks and move laterally, the quickness just is not there. He can still contribute in certain packages, but as the No. 3 edge rusher, it is not good enough.
The trade target: Kayvon Thibodeaux
The first name to consider is a player the Vikings just saw across the field. New York Giants edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux is entering the final year of his rookie deal at $14 million. Minnesota has the cap space to absorb it, but it is not the most fiscally responsible move given everything else the organization is trying to accomplish.
Thibodeaux would be a one-year rental without a future guarantee unless the Vikings extend him and choose not to extend Van Ginkel, who carries an $8.8 million dead cap hit next year. He has underwhelmed as a top-7 overall pick. Last season, he logged 324 pass rush reps, 32 pressures, and 2.5 sacks. Those numbers are fine, but with Brian Burns and the emergence of Abdul Carter in New York, Thibodeaux becomes expendable. Plus, the Giants also drafted Arvell Reese this year.
The question is cost. Can you swing it for a fourth-round pick, or does it require a third-rounder or more? With how few players the Vikings have on inexpensive deals, that cost matters. However, Thibodeaux does not turn 26 until Dec. 15. There is a world where the Vikings want to pair him with Turner long term.
The veteran stopgaps: Joey Bosa and Kyle Van Noy
If the goal is simpler, finding someone to eat 400 to 500 snaps and provide decent production, Joey Bosa fits the bill. The former 3rd overall pick played 654 snaps for the Buffalo Bills last season, logging 399 pass rush reps, 54 pressures, and five sacks. Scale that down to 500 total snaps and 350 pass rush reps, and if you get four sacks and 40-plus pressures, that is a win.
The way Brian Flores’ defense operates, it is about creating pressure collectively. Last season, the Vikings had 49 sacks. Turner led the team with 8.5 with multiple players having six or more, and the production was distributed. It does not matter who gets the sack. It matters that the sack gets gotten at all. Bosa can contribute to that, and he can help mentor Turner along the way.
Kyle Van Noy is the other free agent option. He was a first-time Pro Bowler in 2024 at the age of 32, posting 56 pressures and double-digit sacks. His first year in Miami under Flores led to that four-year, $52 million contract, though it did not work out long term. The Vikings have always targeted Van Noy’s profile of versatility, someone who can play on the ball and off the ball. He could provide another body in the room alongside Van Ginkel while helping develop Turner and Jake Golday and bolstering linebacker depth. Van Noy would likely cost around $3 million to $4 million, and his expectations are straightforward: 40-ish pressures, four to six sacks, 400 to 500 snaps. Given what this defense does for edge rushers, that is not a crazy ask.
The wildcard: Haason Reddick
Haason Reddick remains available after a turbulent couple of years. His falling out with the New York Jets led to a stint with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he started hot with eight pressures and a sack against the Atlanta Falcons in the season opener. After that, he managed only 26 total pressures the rest of the season. The production fell off.
But Flores’ scheme would ask Reddick to do different things than what Todd Bowles ran in Tampa Bay. Reddick has the tools to be a speed rusher around the rim, and he has experience playing off-ball, giving him the versatility Flores values. He posted 13 sacks with the Eagles in 2022 and 2023, and there still could be something in the tank. He turns 32 in September, but his skill set still translates.
The Vikings need to act. The No. 3 edge rusher spot does not have a viable answer on the current roster. Ingram-Dawkins can contribute in specific packages, but the role demands more than what he has shown. Whether it is a trade for Thibodeaux, a veteran signing like Bosa, Van Noy, or Reddick, the solution needs to arrive now.
