Vikings edge Dallas Turner remains a controversial player despite thriving in Brian Flores’ defense
Dallas Turner is the most misunderstood player on the team.
When we look at Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah‘s NFL Draft classes, they are a mixed bag. We know how the 2022 NFL Draft class ended up, and Adofo-Mensah has addressed his strategy.
“I thought a lot about those days and competing, trying to compete on multiple timelines and different things like that. I had a conversation with Kevin [O’Connell],” said Adofo-Mensah in August of 2024. “This is probably a year ago or something, around then. I asked him one time, what was it like when we were down 33-0? You know, when you feel like you’re down. When I entered the building, trying to compete, aging roster, salary cap stuff, I think there were times where I felt down 33-0.
“As we all know, that game starts with one play, one drive, and you build. I think at times I might have been guilty of trying to maybe have a 33-point play all at once. I think once I identified that, I kind of really just, and I think if you’ve seen since then, it’s been really foundationally just taking good steps, building to a certain critical point where I think we compete over the long term.”
That process has led to the Vikings making better draft decisions over the next few years, and one of them has been very controversial: Edge rusher Dallas Turner.
Facts About Dallas Turner
- Minnesota Vikings selected Turner at 17th overall in the 2024 NFL Draft.
- As a rookie, Turner was behind a second-team All-Pro in Andrew Van Ginkel, causing him to play just 310 snaps.
- Turner is still very young, as he turns 23 years old on Feb. 2.
Dallas Turner remains controversial, but he shouldn’t be
When the Vikings selected him at 17th overall, it was an interesting selection. He was their second first-round pick, as they picked quarterback J.J. McCarthy at 10th overall. That was viewed in an interesting way because of how it went down.
The Vikings initially traded pick 42, a sixth-round pick, and a 2025 second-round pick to move up to 23rd overall. Then, the Vikings traded a fifth-round pick and 2025 third and fourth-round picks to move up to 17th. Some equate both trades to Turner and how much he needs to produce to be worth that kind of draft capital.
The trade up from 23rd overall is completely fair to criticize, but he wasn’t the reason why they acquired 23rd overall. Adofo-Mensah did that to hedge his bets on getting their quarterback of the future. The real criticism is that Adofo-Mensah misread the quarterback market.
However, that’s not the point of this article. How is Turner playing so far this year? If you go onto X, you’ll see a lot of negative about his performance, because of his lack of sacks.
It’s a difficult conversation to have with Turner, especially because of how nuanced it is. He was raw and didn’t have a body ready for the NFL just yet. He had just 310 snaps as a rookie, mainly because Andrew Van Ginkel and Jonathan Greenard had All-Pro-caliber seasons ahead of him. Despite that limited playing time, he thrived in multiple instances, including this impressive interception against the Seattle Seahawks in December.
When Turner came into this season, he had bulked up and brought a much better focus to the game. It’s resonated in a major way. He is moving well, and playing in the role that Brian Flores designed for him: A hybrid game-wrecker.
“Dallas is coming into his own,” said Flores this summer. “As far as you know, how he’s been contributing. It can be in a variety of ways, as a rusher, as a dropper, on the ball, off the ball, in different packages. So you know, we’re excited about his versatility, but also his growth.”
However, the Pro Football Focus grades don’t agree with that sentiment. He ranks 73rd out of 108 qualifying edge rushers with a grade of 59.7. However, he’s playing much better football than that number would indicate.
Turner is playing a similar role to the one Anthony Barr played when he was with the Vikings: A thankless one. The flashy plays haven’t been there yet, but he’s doing a great job of doing exactly what he’s asked. Over his 241 snaps this season, Turner has done a little bit of everything.
- 115 run defense snaps (58.6 PFF grade)
- 85 pass rush reps (65.2 PFF grade)
- 41 coverage snaps (54.1 PFF grade)
Turner has 12 pressures in his 85 pass rush reps, creating pressure on 14.12% of snaps. The full pass-rush repertoire isn’t quite there yet, but he doesn’t turn 23 until Feb 2. What he does do a good job of is both going around and through the offensive tackle.
When it comes to rushing the passer, the quickest way to the quarterback is by making the path as short as possible. Turner can bend around the arc and use leverage to attack the offensive lineman with power. The coaching staff believes in Turner.
“I can promise you guys that my excitement for Dallas Turner, every time I’ve had a chance to talk with you, has been real. It’s been authentic. It’s been genuine,” said head coach Kevin O’Connell ahead of the Vikings’ Week 2 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons. I hope you think all the things that I say to you guys is real, authentic and genuine, but I’m so excited for him, just because there is a personal football journey that takes place with every player in the NFL, and the jump that he is currently experiencing will be highlighted clearly with Gink [Van Ginkel] being out this week, but we have viewed it from day one as three potential starters.”
Turner’s role is important. He brings a ton of value to the defense because of the simulated pressures that Flores likes to use. That element is incredibly valuable to the defense’s structure, but it’s also something that doesn’t get accounted for on the stat sheet, just like Barr. Turner is good in coverage, mainly because he moves so well in space and has great length.
The other main aspect is how much the run defense has done with Turner on the field. In the first three games, when Turner didn’t play the majority of snaps, the run defense was significantly better with him on the field. Why? He’s incredibly versatile and has an impact in many ways.
Turner has gotten a lot of flak for not recording many sacks (one this season), but the impact he’s making has been felt in several ways. His success on the field isn’t getting the credit it deserves, but it will come in time. All you need to do is flip on the all-22, and you’ll see the real impact he has.
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