Vikings minicamp: Dallas Turner makes play of the day, but will he get more snaps?

New York Times

2 days ago

EAGAN, Minn. — Locating Dallas Turner on the field is not tricky. Look for the green mouth guard flopping beneath the facemask. It's usually near the line of scrimmage, swaying back and forth before the snap. But not this time, not amid an early seven-on-seven rep during Tuesday afternoon's mandatory minicamp practice for the Minnesota Vikings.
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On this play, Turner lined up as an off-ball linebacker in the middle of the field, his eyes watching the quarterback and his bright red no-contact jersey. Most drills feel like walk-throughs this time of year, especially with how the Vikings value player health over the summer. This one differed in that the wideouts sprinted off the line of scrimmage.
Turner floated backward into coverage. His vision shifted back and forth between the quarterback and the nearest receiver. Defensive coordinator Brian Flores had called a zone coverage, and here Turner was, moving fluidly, looking like he was meant to be there, roaming perfectly in the receiver's window. Just as the ball arrived, he batted it away.
His teammates noticed. When asked after practice about Turner's growth, veteran safety Josh Metellus mentioned the deflection.
'I'm loving what I'm seeing,' he said. 'He is able to show that growth right now, and that's what you want.'
The bar to clear may be low given the number of full-speed reps, but if there were an award for minicamp play of the day, that would take the cake.
It's not that Turner's play was a huge surprise. Rewatch last year's game in Seattle against Geno Smith and the Seahawks, and you'll stumble upon a well-read, second-quarter interception by Turner in the flat. It's more that the 2024 first-round pick who played sparingly on defense last year is taking advantage of every opportunity to show his stuff.
.@UnoErra snags it!
📺: @NFLonFOX pic.twitter.com/wzbuV3yS8a
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) December 22, 2024
Not that the 22-year-old needs to prove what he's capable of, by the way. Flores reiterated multiple times last season that Turner's lack of playing time was primarily a byproduct of the two talented edge rushers occupying the every-down spots.
Andrew Van Ginkel earned an All-Pro honor, and Jonathan Greenard was also deserving. They combined for 138 tackles, 23 1/2 sacks, five forced fumbles and two interceptions returned for touchdowns. It felt like Van Ginkel possessed an almost telepathic knowledge of what the opposing team was trying to do. Greenard, meanwhile, maintained an energy level that made you wonder if he was recharging electronically between series.
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Flores didn't view Turner as a backup-level player — 'I see it as three starters,' he said Tuesday.
Two additional factors were working against Turner. First, he injured his knee in Week 2 against San Francisco, sidelining him the following week and halting whatever momentum he had created. Second, he was new to a complex defensive system.
Learning to be an edge rusher at the pro level is a challenge in itself, but Turner is also athletic and smart enough to play inside linebacker. Each spot requires different techniques. Mastery requires patience, a quality that is rare in NFL circles.
Outwardly, Turner didn't struggle with the minimal snaps. He said all of the right things in interviews throughout the season. That he was absorbing knowledge from Greenard and Van Ginkel. That he knew his time would come. These comments showed his professionalism, but privately, he had a burning desire to see more of the field. So much so that not even a month after the Vikings lost in the playoffs to the Los Angeles Rams, Turner texted longtime trainer Javon Gopie to ask when they could begin workouts.
Most NFL players were vacationing, sipping beverages in tropical climates. Gopie, who has worked with Greenard, Denver's Nik Bonitto and Miami's Jaelan Phillips, understood Turner's fire but encouraged him to take more time.
'I had to turn him down, just encourage him to take more time off,' Gopie said recently. 'He was super-motivated, man.'
When they finally began meeting on turf fields under the blazing Miami sun, one of their conversations revolved around Bonitto. He and Turner had played together at renowned St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Both stood around 6-foot-3 and weighed close to 240 pounds. They shared traits, both moving smoothly in their pursuit of the quarterback.
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Bonitto's professional arc started slowly — he only played 357 defensive snaps as a rookie. The uptick in snaps during his second season coincided with more sack production. What Gopie wanted to talk to Turner about was Bonitto's 2024 season: the 13 1/2 sacks, the overall pressure production, the interception returned for a touchdown.
'What'd you think about Nik's year?' Gopie asked Turner on the metal benches before a workout. 'What'd that mean to you?'
'You have no idea,' Turner responded.
Gopie's take on its effect? Knowing what Bonitto accomplished suggested Turner could also reside in that upper echelon of NFL pass rushers.
'He's one of one, man,' Gopie said. 'I have no doubt, based on the reps, that he's a 10-plus-sack guy.'
It's not a matter of mindset, at least not according to Flores, who complimented the high standard Turner sets for himself. Nor is it a matter of being willing to take coaching. Turner checks the professional boxes.
The only remaining question is the one Gopie alluded to, the one about where the playing time will come from. Flores hasn't tipped his hand there, other than to say, 'Dallas is coming into his own as far as how he's going to contribute as a rusher, as a dropper, on the ball, off the ball, in different packages.'
His point? The green mouth guard could be all over the place this fall. Maybe he'll stay stationary on the edge, or maybe he'll shift from the inside linebacker spot to the A-gap. That he's capable of doing all of this — and, more importantly, doing it well — is why he's worth playing in the first place.