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Pass-rusher Dallas Turner of the Minnesota Vikings.

The Minnesota Vikings were not financially equipped or loaded up enough with draft capital to make a lot of splash moves this offseason, at least not regarding incoming players. However, the team did trade pass-rusher Jonathan Greenard to the Philadelphia Eagles for two third-round draft picks, which is heaping pressure on the shoulders of Dallas Turner as he enters Year 3 in the NFL.

A first-round pick in 2024 (No. 17 overall), Turner has shown promise ahead of his entrance into a regular starting role, which will begin come Week 1 in September barring any injuries or shocking roster shakeups.

And given the lack of depth behind Turner and co-starter Andrew Van Ginkel on the depth chart, Mina Kimes of ESPN dubbed the 23-year-old outside linebacker as the Vikings’ X-factor heading into a critical season for head coach Kevin O’Connell.

“My feeling was the Greenard trade doesn’t happen unless this team believes in Dallas Turner,” Kimes said. “Especially with Kyler [Murray] coming in, where it’s not longer like a quote, unquote ‘rebuilding year.’ Like, you need pass rush.”

“No way [DC Brian] Flores lets Greenard walk unless he feels like he’s got something in Turner,” she continued.

Dallas Turner Has Athleticism to Excel in NFL, Must Continue to Develop Technical Pass-Rush Skills

GettyPass-rusher Dallas Turner of the Minnesota Vikings.

Kimes noted that Turner — who led the Viking in sacks last season with eight of them on just 288 pass-rush snaps played — has some high-end athletic traits.

“He did feast a little bit on bad competition in the second part of the season,” Kimes continued. “I will say, he has a lot of juice. He is explosive off the line of scrimmage, and he has got closing speed. Like, he is an athlete.”

However, she also mentioned a relatively under-developed technical skill set off the edge that Turner must improve on during the upcoming year.

“The pass-rush repertoire is still a little bit underwhelming … but for the most part, the thing that just jumped out to me was the speed and the get-off,” Kimes said. “Development has to continue next year, because if it doesn’t, I feel like they’re really regretting trading Jonathan Greenard.”

Vikings Could Use Veteran Pass-Rusher like Joey Bosa to Add Depth

Pro Football Focus — which tallies sacks slightly differently than some other, common statistical sources that provide NFL statistics — actually credited Turner with nine sacks last season.

According to PFF, he also produced 42 total pressures and 27 QB hurries, which ranked 43rd and 47th, respectively, among 115 edge defenders who played enough snaps in 2025 to qualify for a ranking.

Turner has two seasons remaining on his $15.8 million rookie deal, and Minnesota also holds a fifth-year team option for 2028. The league will figure the price of that option after next season, which it will base on an amalgamation of Turner’s playing time, production and any awards or honors he might win. The Vikings will then have until May 1 to decide whether to pick it up.

But even if Turner makes that decision an easy one for Minnesota by playing exceedingly well in his first year as a regular starter, the Vikings will still need to look for upgrades and/or added depth off the edge by next offseason — if not sooner.

The team’s two backup outside linebackers are Bo Richter and Chaz Chambliss, undrafted rookie free agents in 2024 and 2025, respectively. As such, the Vikings are currently candidates to add a veteran pass-rusher to serve in a situational role for the upcoming season, with a player like Joey Bosa the right sort of fit behind Turner and Van Ginkel.