Genius of Vikings’ Apparent Offseason Blunder Will Be Clear This Summer

The Minnesota Vikings didn’t make a ton of controversial moves this offseason, but one of the biggest was trading Jonathan Greenard. Greenard was a leader in the Vikings locker room and one of their most productive players over his two seasons in Minnesota, logging 15 sacks and 127 pressures according to Pro Football Focus. But his contract demands made it unsustainable to keep him around, leading to his trade to the Philadelphia Eagles.

A lot has been made about Greenard’s departure and even interim GM Rob Brzezinski admitted the move made the Vikings a worse team than they were from last year’s 9-8 squad. But this summer is the first important data point that will show the Vikings made the right decision, and it could be clear if Dallas Turner and Jakobe Thomas show out during training camp.

Dallas Turner and Jakobe Thomas must validate the Jonathan Greenard trade during training camp

Training camp won't paint the full picture of how Turner and Thomas will perform this season, but they’ll certainly have opportunities.

Turner may be one of the Vikings’ biggest winners from the offseason after sitting behind Greenard the past two seasons. With Greenard leaving town, the Alabama product will slide into a starting role two years after the Vikings traded up to get him in the 2024 draft. His rookie year was largely a redshirt season, playing 302 total defensive snaps and logging 12 pressures and three sacks on 144 pass-rushing snaps. But he took a leap forward with 42 total pressures and eight sacks on 288 pass-rushing snaps last season, per PFF.

The biggest takeaway from last season’s performance is that he looked more comfortable filling in for Greenard rather than for Andrew Van Ginkel on the opposite side. With rookie Jake Golday presumably backing up Van Ginkel, Turner will be unimpeded even if the Vikings sign an edge rusher before training camp, giving him a chance to break out.

If that happens, the rest of the trade will be the cherry on top, and that would include Thomas' performance. Thomas was selected with one of the third-round picks received in the trade and could be the successor to Harrison Smith. While Smith could still return to the Vikings this season, it’s unlikely the 37-year-old will want to go through the grind of training camp, leaving Thomas with the chance to earn first-team reps.

Should he climb the depth chart, the Vikings should benefit as Thomas made 76 total tackles, four tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and five interceptions in his lone season playing in Corey Hetherman’s “Havoc” defense at the University of Miami (FL) last season.

Having two players at cheaper price points would be a huge development and may take some of the sting out of Greenard’s departure. While Greenard brought plenty of positives, the Eagles also gave him a four-year, $98 million contract extension upon his arrival, which is something the Vikings may not have been able to afford after last year’s disastrous free-agent spending spree.

If Turner and Thomas stand out in camp, that will be the first step in the healing process and it could get better since the Vikings also acquired a third-round pick from the Eagles in the 2027 draft, which is expected to be much deeper than last year’s class. That could start the formation of a younger nucleus the Vikings can lean on, potentially laying the groundwork to reap the benefits for years to come.

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