The Minnesota Vikings have been a bit limited this offseason thanks to a tough salary cap situation and a front office that has been revamped on the fly, but the team has managed to make a slew of necessary changes over the past few months. Sometimes, that has resulted in players being shipped elsewhere, and that was the case for star pass rusher Jonathan Greenard, who was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles.
With Greenard gone, that has put a spotlight on the remaining players in town for the Vikings along their defensive line. Perhaps the most important player in this group now is third-year star Dallas Turner, who is fresh off a breakout campaign for Minnesota. Now that Greenard is gone, though, Turner knows he’s going to have to take another step forward for the team in 2026.
Dallas Turner Looks Ahead to 2026 Campaign After Vikings Trade Jonathan Greenard
After enjoying a wildly productive first season with Minnesota in 2024, Greenard struggled last year, as he picked up just three sacks in 12 games for the team. When he made it clear he wanted his contract adjusted heading into 2026, the Vikings had little choice but to send him elsewhere, with the Eagles eventually taking him off their hands.
Now that Greenard is gone, Turner appears to be the team’s top remaining pass rusher. After a disappointing rookie campaign in 2024, the former first-round pick broke out in 2025 with 66 tackles and eight sacks over 17 games of action. Turner’s emergence is one of the main reasons why the front office was OK with losing Greenard.
However, Turner is going to have to elevate his game in order to stay as productive as he was last season, which is going to be easier said than done. Beyond that, there’s a leadership void that Turner will be asked to fill, and it sounds like that’s one of his individual goals heading into the new season.
“I’m really just trying to be a leader,” Turner revealed when speaking to reporters. “We’ve got kind of a younger room. I’m still young in the NFL, but I still have some type of experience. I can be some type of beacon or outlet to some of the guys that are new on the team.”
Vikings Need Another Big Season from Dallas Turner
GettyEdge rusher Dallas Turner of the Minnesota Vikings.
Greenard obviously didn’t have the sort of year he was hoping for in 2025, but he still commanded attention from opposing offensive lines, which helped open things up for Turner. Now, Turner is going to be the one commanding attention from the Vikings’ opponents, so he’s going to have to step things up in order to remain as productive as he was last year.
Of course, Turner isn’t going to be alone in this department, as Andrew Van Ginkel, Eric Wilson, and Jalen Redmond all racked up at least six sacks last year and will be returning to town this upcoming season. However, it’s going to be up to Turner to pace this group, and that sounds like a challenge that he is up for.
Vikings’ Dallas Turner Sends Strong Message on Role After Jonathan Greenard Trade