Losing a player like Jonathan Greenard is always going to hurt. However, the Minnesota Vikings are well-positioned to survive the departure thanks to their strong depth along their defensive line.
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer thinks their pass-rush will be just fine heading into the 2026 NFL season. He mentioned a few surprise players as reasons for optimism.
“Van Ginkel is certainly a key part. However, the bigger piece might be 2024 first-round pick Dallas Turner, who’s had a monster offseason and seems to be starting to realize the enormous amount of talent he’s always had. Tyler Batty has had a nice start to camp, and he’ll help in that area, along with second-round pick Jake Golday, who has the versatility and athleticism to play on and off the line,” Breer Wrote.
Andrew Van Ginkel is definitely the guy along the Vikings’ front seven at this point. Breer seems to believe Dallas Turner could be ready to take that title, though.
Dallas Turner Appears Primed For A Third-Year Leap
Some already wrote Turner off after he put up only 3 sacks (while playing third-fiddle to Van Ginkel and Greenard) during his rookie season. The performance was magnified by Jared Verse, whom the Rams selected two picks later, winning the Defensive Rookie of the Year Award.
However, Turner proved that his detractors were early to the party last season. He showed an extra gear, finishing the season with 8 sacks during his impressive sophomore campaign.
One could call last year’s performance a breakout season, but Turner is still only scratching the surface of how good he can become. What if the season instead proves to be a launching point into something better? The Vikings traded up to select him with the 17th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft for a reason, and they’re clearly betting on him to reach his potential after shipping Greenard out of town this offseason.
Turner, who ran a blistering 4.46-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine, possesses rare first-step quickness, and he has the bend to match it. That’s a potent combination for an edge rusher. A double-digit sack season is not only in the cards, but it’s the bare-minimum expectation with a suspected increase in playing time (he played 66% of the snaps last season) after Greenard’s departure.
Vikings’ Draft Class Could Also Feature A Few Instant-Impact Rookies
The 23-year-old is far from the only reason for optimism when it comes to Minnesota’s current defensive line rotation. Jake Golday, who many saw as a clear-cut off-the-ball linebacker prospect, also has experience playing on the edge. The Athletic’s Alec Lewis said that Golday was not only getting snaps there early in camp, but that he was also making the most of them. With a hyper-aggressive defensive coordinator like Brian Flores calling the shots, that’s a very intriguing chess piece to add to the mix.
Caleb Banks, whom the team selected with the 18th pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, was lauded as one of the most explosive athletes among the DTs in the class. He’s got unreal quickness for someone standing at 6’6″ and 327 lbs. While growing pains are to be expected in his rookie season, he should definitely move the needle in the pass-rush department along the interior.
The Vikings’ defensive front might be relatively unproven, but there’s no denying how much talent they have across the board. It’s a question mark that could soon prove to be an exclamation point.
Vikings’ Pass Rush Predicted to Improve Despite Loss of Jonathan Greenard