Dallas Turner sack shows why it's way too early to lose faith in his upside

In one spectacular rep, the Vikings' first-round pick demonstrated his incredible potential.

Dec 16, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings linebacker Dallas Turner (15) reacts after a sack during the fourth quarter against the Chicago Bears at U.S. Bank Stadium. / Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

All it takes is one play to see why it's far too early to lose any sort of faith in Vikings rookie Dallas Turner's long-term upside.

It was midway through the fourth quarter of Monday night's game against the Bears. Turner lined up outside of Chicago tight end Cole Kmet and across from right tackle Darnell Wright, a former top-ten pick having a strong second season in the NFL. Then he did one of the most impressive things a Vikings pass-rusher has done all season.

As Turner ran at Wright, he faked like he was going to engage his hands, dipped his shoulder, and took a step around the corner. After planting his left foot, he slid down to his right knee and absolutely exploded out of the sliding position for a lightning-quick sack of Caleb Williams. It was the type of eye-popping rep that shows off Turner's bend, his athleticism, and his immense potential.

Nasty move from Dallas Turner against Darnell Wright on his sack. Dip, bend, slide, explode to the QB. pic.twitter.com/QJJFN9LDOh

— Will Ragatz (@WillRagatz) December 17, 2024

"(Against a) good player, too. Wright's a pretty darn good right tackle," Kevin O'Connell said on Tuesday. "I think you saw a little bit of everything. The speed, the burst, the bend, turning the corner like that. That's just a glimpse of what I think is going to show up a lot in Dallas's future. He's gonna continue to get more and more (opportunities) here as we try to keep our defense fresh down the stretch. It's good to see, for sure."

Much has been made of Turner's fairly quiet rookie season, which tends to happen with first-round picks who don't immediately produce. That sack was his first since Week 1 against the Giants. He's played 236 defensive snaps in 13 games and now has 11 pressures on the year. The No. 17 overall pick hasn't had the type of season that fellow rookie edge rushers like Jared Verse, Chop Robinson, and Laiatu Latu have had, but the context is important.

Turner, who hasn't yet turned 22, is more than two years younger than Verse and Latu. He's also playing for a team that might have the best edge rusher group in the NFL. The Vikings' OLB room includes Pro Bowl-caliber starters Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel, as well as veteran rotation players in Pat Jones II and Jihad Ward. Those four players have been quite healthy all year. Then you throw in the complexity of Brian Flores' defense and the fact that Turner is learning a role that asks him to do more than just rush the passer, and it's not too difficult to understand why he hasn't put up big numbers in his first year.

Monday night was a reminder of the incredible upside Turner very much possesses. He played 34 snaps — one away from the season-high mark he set in his NFL debut — and recorded three tackles, two pressures, and a strong 71.2 PFF grade. And it was that one brilliant rep out of the 34 that shows you just about everything you need to know about what could be in Turner's future.

"That's my youngin," Greenard said in a postgame interview on the field. "I'm just so happy for DT because the sky's the limit. He's just gonna keep soaking up a whole bunch of knowledge and he's gonna be playing fast. That was great for him to get a sack. I know that felt good."

As O'Connell mentioned, the Vikings may need to lean on Turner to keep guys like Greenard and Van Ginkel fresh down the stretch of the regular season and into the playoffs. Don't be surprised if a young, ascending player with his natural ability starts to flash more and more in the coming weeks.

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