The Minnesota Vikings made sure to invest in the trenches this offseason, signing guys like Ryan Kelly and Will Fries on the offensive side of the ball, and acquiring guys like Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave on defense. With all of the returning talent as well, the Vikings have a really good team and a scary defensive front. However, the loaded defensive front has left fans asking one question: Where will Dallas Turner fit into the equation?
Turner was selected by Minnesota with the 17th-overall pick in the 2024 Draft, and he was viewed as one of the best edge defenders in the class. However, he spent his rookie season stuck behind Andrew Van Ginkel who had a career year. While Van Ginkel was putting up Pro Bowl numbers, Turner recorded just three sacks, one interception, 20 tackles, three for a loss, and one pass deflection in 16 games.
Now, with Van Ginkel and Jonathan Greenard returning, everyone is curious to know if Turner will have a role in the talented defensive front, or if he’ll be limited to under 30% of the defensive snaps again.
What will Dallas Turner’s role be with the Minnesota Vikings in 2024?
Unless Van Ginkel’s 2024 season was just a one-hit wonder kind of thing, Turner isn’t going to unseat him as the starter. The same goes for Greenard, who also made the first Pro Bowl of his career in 2024 with 12 sacks. However, both guys returning as starters doesn’t mean Turner will automatically play the same amount of snaps he did as a rookie.
If the second-year defender has made a leap, he should be added into the rotation, playing a bigger percentage of snaps. Most teams love to keep defensive linemen fresh, so if they can rotate, they will. So while it’s unlikely that Dallas Turner will start in 2025, he could still carve out a bigger role for himself.