Kevin O’Connell praises rising star after breakout performance, and taking the next step will be crucial to the Vikings’ success

It was what we were all waiting for.

Tyler Forness — NFL & College Football News Writer
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Nov 16, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings linebacker Dallas Turner (15) reacts after a tackle during the first quarter against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Brad Rempel-Imagn Images

Going into Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears, the Minnesota Vikings were without edge rusher Jonathan Greenard due to a shoulder injury he suffered against the Baltimore Ravens. Not having him in the lineup was set to be a big issue, but the defense still played really well, allowing just 4.4 yards per play.

In his place was 2024 first-round pick Dallas Turner, who has been maligned for the majority of his year and a half with the Vikings. There have been some nice flashes, but the sack production hasn’t been there. Even so, he’s played some really good football, and that continued against the Bears.

Kevin O’Connell praises Dallas Turner

Turner had his breakout against the Bears that many were expecting to happen earlier. He pressured quarterback Caleb Williams five times, sacked him once, and was incredibly close to another. He also played a career-high 65 snaps and was on the field more than fellow edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel.

Head coach Kevin O’Connell spoke very highly of Turner during his appearance on X’s and O’s with Paul Allen, but the praise mainly came after building a base of what Turner has done this year.

“I think the every-down consistency you earn those ops to rush the quarterback by the job you do on the early downs of physicality, setting edges,” said O’Connell. “You know, playing your role as an edge player in our defense is very important to stopping the run.”

He’s done a really good job being strong at the point of attack and setting the edge, including against talented tackles like Lane Johnson of the Philadelphia Eagles.

“The NFL is not just about your go-to move every time it’s about having that go-to move as a rusher, whether it’s speed to bull, whether it’s long arm, whether it’s a club and rip. Whatever it is, you got to figure out what your fastball is,” O’Connell continued. “And much like when a relief pitcher in Major League Baseball wants to transition to become a starter, you can’t just throw two pitches.

“You need to have the fastball, and then you need to have your counters off of that. When you’re playing Lane Johnson, or you’re playing some of these high-end tackles, like they’re they’re going to, they’re repping all week to rep your counter moves, because they’re that confident in stopping the initial rush.”

That is one of the biggest things with Turner. Can he develop that secondary and counter move? It still hasn’t come yet, but he’s still learning and has all the athleticism to thrive.

“You’ve got to be able to pair it together with limited thinking and playing fast and explosive, because that’s what Dallas Turner is,” O’Connell continued. “It’s just putting it all together from a standpoint of a rush plan, the discipline of maybe some game plans, like a Lamar Jackson game plan, or even Caleb Williams last week, where you cannot just rush, just with your hair on fire and leave open exit strategies for these quarterbacks, because they are so harmful to to getting them off the field on third down, trying to limit the chunk plays when you’re not only having to defend the initial play, but then the off schedule play, which is in many cases even more dangerous.”

Playing edge rusher in the NFL isn’t just about pinning your ears back and going after the quarterback; you need to be smart and stay disciplined in your rush lanes. That’s been what the Vikings have had to do over the last few weeks, and Turner has found a way to excel at it. Now, can he take the next step? Well, Sunday was a good indication that it’s already begun.

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