EAGAN, Minn. -- If you were looking for indications that the Minnesota Vikings will give linebacker Dallas Turner a bigger role in 2025, OTAs and minicamp were not the place to find them.
NFL rules that prohibit contact in spring, combined with the Vikings' practice structure, left observers clinging to one nifty play in particular, but well short of drawing any clear conclusions. Turner has the kind of draft resume that makes it reasonable to project a big jump from his rookie season, but he still faces the same essential obstacle to getting on the field. The Vikings have a pair of 2024 Pro Bowl players at his position -- Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel -- who are under contract through 2027 and 2026, respectively.
Defensive coordinator Brian Flores said he views Greenard, Van Ginkel and Turner as "three starters," but it remains to be seen who will come off the field to make that true for Turner. Spring practices suggested a few possible scenarios, but Turner withheld any judgment.
"I wouldn't really put any expectations on year two," Turner said. "I'll just let the work speak for itself. I have the tools and the knowledge as an NFL player to put it on display. The priority is just being the best Viking I can possibly be, and fitting our defense whatever way they need to fit it. Just being a productive member of the building."
Were it not for the Vikings using the No. 10 pick to draft quarterback J.J. McCarthy last year, Turner would have been the talk of the team's draft class. Ranked as one of the top pass rushers available, Turner was still on the board at No. 17 when the Vikings capped off a series of trades to move up and select him. All told, they used seven draft picks in the acquisition, raising short- and long-term expectations for his impact -- even with Greenard and Van Ginkel already on the roster.
He wound up playing only 315 defensive snaps, while Greenard and Van Ginkel combined for 1,906 snaps. To put Turner's playing time in perspective, consider that of the 118 defensive players drafted in the top 20 since 2012, 106 played more snaps than he did, according to the Pro Football Reference database. Turner had just turned 21 when the Vikings drafted him, and he has been open about the steep adjustment he faced at the pro level and his initial surprise that, as a rookie backup, he was expected to play special teams.
This spring, however, Flores talked like a coach who is looking for ways to get Turner more involved.
"We talked a lot about him last year and his growth throughout the season," Flores said, "and he's just kind of built on that. Nobody talks about that rookie season when you're in college and you're training, and it's the combine, and then the draft, and then it's new everything. New house, new ride to work, new everything.
"So he's much more comfortable in this environment. He knows what the expectations are. He's got a high standard for himself, and that's a great place to start, but he also knows he's got to work a significant amount to get to that standard, as all of our guys do. He's come in and really gotten into a routine that I think is going to allow him to put his best foot forward, put himself in position to have the type of season he wants to have and we want him to have."
Turner's most interesting moment of the spring, at least during the five practices open to reporters, came during a 7-on-7 drill on the first day of mandatory minicamp. Because of the way coach Kevin O'Connell structures spring practices, 7-on-7 is the only time players are close to running full speed (11-on-11 drills are at roughly half speed).
That approach works well for teaching assignments and adjustments, but it also doesn't provide many clues about pass rushing or run fits. So on this 7-on-7 occasion, Turner was lined up in coverage against tight end T.J. Hockenson. Turner stayed with Hockenson stride for stride on a crossing route and tipped away J.J. McCarthy's pass (1:50 mark in video below).
Big things happening at the start of minicamp.#Skol pic.twitter.com/b5jCI7mAtT
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) June 11, 2025
Laughing about the play later, Turner said he participated in the Adidas 7-on-7 circuit in South Florida when he was in high school but "never deflected a pass like that." It was a reminder of the versatility the Vikings have emphasized since drafting him and could be a clue to how his playing time could increase in 2025.
The Vikings spent part of the spring experimenting with how they will replace safety Camryn Bynum, who signed with the Indianapolis Colts in free agency. On some occasions, veteran Josh Metellus was working in Bynum's spot, vacating Metellus' previous role as a hybrid defensive back/linebacker. At other times, Theo Jackson -- a backup from 2022 to 2024 who signed a contract extension this spring -- was working there.
Depending on how the Vikings play it, Turner could fill his own version of Metellus' hybrid role. And even if he remains a traditional outside linebacker, the free agent departure of Pat Jones II -- who played 459 snaps in 15 games last season -- would seem to open up more pass rushing possibilities. It's also not unreasonable to think the Vikings will give Greenard and Van Ginkel some additional rest after both set career highs in playing time last season.
"Dallas is coming into his own in terms of how he is going to contribute," Flores said, "and it could be in a variety of ways: as a rusher, as a dropper, on the ball, off the ball, in different packages. We're excited his versatility, but also his growth."