During the team's loss to the Baltimore Ravens last Sunday, Minnesota Vikings fans had to hold their breath after Pro Bowl edge rusher Jonathan Greenard left the game with what looked like a pretty serious shoulder injury.
Less than 24 hours later, optimism about Greenard's status picked up after Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell revealed that the edge rusher's injury might not prevent him from playing in the team's upcoming Week 11 game against the Chicago Bears.
Unfortunately, that optimism has been shrinking, as Greenard didn't participate in either of Minnesota's first two practices this week because of his shoulder injury. With him being a non-participant on Wednesday and Thursday, the likelihood of him playing against Chicago this weekend seems pretty low.
With Jonathan Greenard unlikely to play in Week 11, another big opportunity awaits Minnesota Vikings edge rusher Dallas Turner
Earlier this season, an injury to Pro Bowl edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel created the opportunity for Dallas Turner to get a handful of starts in his second year with the Vikings.
Turner did okay in his extra time on the field, but there was a noticeable improvement in the performance of Minnesota's defense when Van Ginkel returned in the team's Week 9 win over the Detroit Lions.
Now, with Greenard expected to be sidelined, Turner will likely get another shot to start this weekend, but this time, he'll be teaming up with Van Ginkel instead of filling in for him.
It will be interesting to see if Turner plays any better as an edge-rushing duo with Van Ginkel than he did with Greenard earlier this season. Van Ginkel is better in pass coverage than Greenard is, so this could allow Turner to focus more on rushing the passer and stopping the run on Sunday.
Turner has shown some flashes in his short tenure with the Vikings, but he definitely hasn't lived up to the expectations of someone who Minnesota traded up in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft to select. Sunday could be his next opportunity to quiet the doubters and prove that the Vikings made the right choice.