Dallas Turner led the Minnesota Vikings in sacks last season, but he’s going to need to be considerably better in 2026 if the defense hopes to avoid a significant decline following the decision to trade Jonathan Greenard.
Bill Barnwell of ESPN wrote recently that Turner is playing this year, his first as a full-time starter after going in the first round in 2024, for a lucrative fifth-year option in 2028. Minnesota will decide whether to pick up that option, which could exceed $20 million in value, by May 1 of next year.
However, Barnwell noted that Turner’s production last season was misleading, even if his counting statistics were solid.
“Turner had eight sacks in a rotational role filling in on the edge for the Vikings, but he wasn’t anywhere near as productive on a snap-by-snap basis as that figure suggests upon closer review,” Barnwell wrote on September 3.
Dallas Turner’s Metrics in 2025 Fell Considerably Short of Jonathan Greenard’s
Barnwell referenced an X post from March in which he explained why some analysts are perhaps overrating Turner’s performance from 2025.
Turner had eight sacks last year, but that included 2.5 coverage sacks, 2.5 unblocked sacks, and a sack where
Know the Vikings are in a rough cap bind, and he’s still young, but not sure Dallas Turner is as ready to step in for Jonathan Greenard as his sack total might suggest.
Turner had eight sacks last year, but that included 2.5 coverage sacks, 2.5 unblocked sacks, and a sack where the tackle was late off the ball.
Greenard had an 8.4 percent quick pressure rate, which was fourth-best amongst edges with 200 pass rushes or more. Turner was at 4.0 percent, which was 38th.
Tyler Forness of A to Z Sports argued in return that Turner’s tape still holds up, even despite some of the caveats that Barnwell mentioned.
“The film was good, and his baseline levels of play (setting the run, play strength, developing his pass rush plan, etc) were significantly improved,” Forness wrote of Turner. “He’s not as good as Greenard, but certainly ready to be a full-time starter.”
Vikings Added Kyle Van Noy to Improve Pass-Rush Group After Taking Step Back With Jonathan Greenard Trade
Former interim Vikings GM Rob Brzezinski admitted that the Vikings’ defense took a step back the moment they dealt Greenard to the Philadelphia Eagles for two third-rounders during this year’s NFL draft.
“He’s an impact player. It’s something we understand is not making the Minnesota Vikings a better team today,” Brzezinski said, per Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune. “But there’s a lot of factors involved, and particularly with the economics, we were able to reach a resolution that made sense for the Vikings.”
“We are going to miss him,” Brzezinski continued. “We’re happy he was able to get himself a new contract, but this is not something we’re jumping around excitedly about. We did feel like it was the best thing for the organization moving forward.”
Minnesota signed veteran edge-rusher Kyle Van Noy as a reinforcement behind Turner and Andrew Van Ginkel, the latter of whom is entering the final year of his contract in Minnesota.
Dallas Turner’s Future With Vikings Uncertain After Overrated Season