Safe to say that Dallas Turner was facing huge expectations. After all, snagging the talented pass rusher from Alabama required Kwesi Adofo-Mensah to ship out no shortage of draft capital to hop up to No. 17.
After eleven games, though, Mr. Turner has been having a quiet season. He’s the fifth option among the edge rushers after some expected him to be a borderline starter as a long-and-strong pass rusher capable of winning early in his career. How has his rookie season been going?
Dallas Turner and A Quiet Rookie Season
To be sure, we’re a long way off from Lewis Cine’s debut season. But while that’s true, Turner is a long way off from being as impressive as Jordan Addison’s debut season. Turner is somewhere in between those two recent 1st-Round selections.
Consider, for instance, just a basic consideration of the snap counts for the team’s various edge rushers:
At the top, Greenard and Van Ginkel are feasting. Rightfully so. Each one has 9 sacks and seem very likely to push that total well into the double digits. More importantly, each one is consistently disruptive, creating pressures aplenty.
Jones and Ward have been solid, helping the defensive line a great deal. Oftentimes, Brian Flores will take his top defensive linemen off the field — Harrison Phillips and Jonathan Bullard, both of whom are primarily run stuffers — so that Jones and Ward — both of whom have good size — can rush along the interior.
Richter is mostly a special teams helper.
Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images
In his 150 snaps, Dallas Turner has picked up 9 tackles. He has 1 sack, 2 QB hits, and 1 TFL. At times, his length and speed have shown up, but the season as a whole has been relatively quiet.
PFF gives the rookie defender a 57.6 grade, neither disastrous nor impressive. Part of what stands out is simply that his pass coverage — not rush, coverage — comes in at a pretty good grade at 65.7. Limited snaps, but still. Part of Van Ginkel’s value comes from being able to drop in coverage; does Turner have a similar future?
Keep in mind, too, that Turner has picked up 141 special teams snaps. He’s one of the key contributors for Matt Daniels. Possessing some excellent size at 6’3″, 247, Turner ran a 4.46 forty. The appeal for a phase like punt coverage or kickoff coverage is obvious.
Sep 8, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Minnesota Vikings linebacker Jonathan Greenard (58) celebrates a sack with linebacker Dallas Turner (15) during the first half against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Still only 21, Dallas Turner has a bright future. The 2024 season has been somewhat of a disappointment but he has made some plays in limited opportunity. The 9-2 Vikings are leaning on their veterans, which makes sense given how well the defense is playing.
Next up for Turner and the Vikings is a battle against the Arizona Cardinals. Kickoff will take place at 12 p.m. CT on December 1st, 2024.