Vikings minicamp recap, Day 1: Start the year two Dallas Turner hype train

One moment stood out above the rest at Day 1 of Vikings mandatory minicamp on Tuesday.

It was a seven-on-seven period, which are the only reps that happen at close to full speed during this portion of the offseason. Backup QB Sam Howell dropped back, surveyed the field, and looked to fire a ball up the seam to rookie tight end Ben Yurosek. The throw was accurate. But there to break it up, running stride for stride with Yurosek roughly 20 yards downfield, was second-year outside linebacker Dallas Turner. His defensive teammates roared in approval.

It was an incredible play from the 22-year-old Turner, who is listed at 247 pounds but looks to have maybe added a bit more muscle to his frame this offseason. Known for his pass-rushing prowess in three seasons at Alabama, Turner spent his rookie season learning to play a versatile, Andrew Van Ginkel-esque role in Brian Flores' defense, which includes playing off the ball and dropping into coverage. Even at his size, he has the athleticism and fluidity to do it, which he showed on his first career interception last December in Seattle.

Much has been made of Turner's fairly quiet debut season. The Vikings traded quite a bit, in two separate deals, to wind up selecting him with the 17th overall pick last year. He went on to play just 310 defensive snaps and another 235 on special teams, recording 20 tackles, three sacks, and the aforementioned INT. The flashes of upside were there, but he was fourth on Minnesota's OLB depth chart behind Jonathan Greenard, Van Ginkel, and Pat Jones II.

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

Expectations for Turner are high heading into his second season. Jones is gone, clearing the path for more playing time. By all accounts, Turner has worked his tail off this offseason to build on what he learned last year. The Vikings hope a breakout year is coming for a guy with all kinds of athleticism and ability.

"I'm loving what I'm seeing," veteran safety Josh Metellus said after practice. "I think he's done the right things. He had two vets in front of him that are All-Pro type players. He's seen it. He's very receptive on how he's supposed to be and the stuff he's supposed to get done leading up to OTAs, the stuff he's doing now. He had a great play today in coverage. Just to see the growth in the player from year one to year two, that's what you want. With training camp coming around, all he's gonna do is keep growing."

The Vikings moved up six spots to pick Turner on draft night last year because they felt it was an opportunity to land a player they thought would be gone in the top ten. This is a guy who had 8.5 sacks as an 18-year-old true freshman for the Crimson Tide in 2021, then capped his career with a ten-sack All-American season as a junior. The Vikings envisioned big things when they drafted him, and that hasn't changed just because he didn't play a ton on a loaded defense as a rookie.

"Dallas, we talked a lot about him last year and his growth throughout the season," defensive coordinator Brian Flores said. "He's just kind of built on that. ... He's much more comfortable, I would say, in this environment. He knows what the expectations are. He's got a high standard for himself, and that's a great place to start. But he also knows he's gotta work a significant amount to get to that standard. And he's come in and really gotten into a routine that's, I think, gonna allow him to put his best foot forward and put himself in position to have the type of season that he wants to have. All positive with him. Definitely a lot of growth from his standpoint, and excited to see where this goes."

It wasn't really a knock against Turner that he was behind a pair of Pro Bowlers in Greenard and Van Ginkel, or even Jones, who earned a two-year, $15 million deal from the Panthers this spring. It also has to be noted that Flores' defense is not an easy one for a rookie to learn. This year, the comfort level is much higher. And you can expect Turner to be a lot more involved, including playing alongside both Greenard and AVG in many situations.

"In that room, I really see it as three starters," Flores said. "So you're with two guys who receive all the accolades and obviously are good players who have been in the league, who have made a lot of plays. The best thing you can do — and I think Dallas did this — is just soak up that information. Dallas is coming into his own as far as how he's gonna contribute, and it can be a variety of ways. As a rusher, as a dropper, on the ball, off the ball, in different packages. We're excited about his versatility but also his growth."

Other observations from Tuesday's practice

For the third consecutive practice open to reporters, J.J. McCarthy threw an interception, this one coming on a short route to the right sideline that was jumped by Byron Murphy Jr., the Vikings' top corner. But McCarthy bounced back nicely and looked sharper than he did in last week's windy OTA session. He made a nice throw to Jalen Nailor on the ensuing rep. Later in practice, he found Josh Oliver — who just signed a contract extension on Tuesday — on a seam route. And McCarthy also connected numerous times with Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, including a pretty-looking deep ball to Addison near the end of practice. There's still a lot of learning happening at this point, but McCarthy's arm is as advertised.

Christian Darrisaw was back at practice! It's just individual drills, but it's still a big step for the Vikings' standout left tackle, who tore his ACL and MCL last October. Will Fries, Rondale Moore, and Gavin Bartholomew are still working back from injuries and were not participating. Josh Metellus, who is awaiting a contract extension of his own, hasn't been doing any of the 7-on-7 reps despite being healthy.

The Vikings' backup QB situation is going to be an interesting subplot to follow during training camp. Howell seems like the clear favorite, and he made a couple nice throws during this practice. But don't count out Brett Rypien, who also had some moments, including an excellent layered throw to rookie TE Bryson Nesbit. Between those two and rookie Max Brosmer, I imagine the Vikings would ideally like to hold onto all three of their depth quarterbacks.

Let's end with two deep-cut names to keep in mind. One is second-year receiver Jeshaun Jones, an undrafted free agent out of Maryland last year who keeps showing up and making plays. The other is a UDFA from this year's class, cornerback Zemaiah Vaughn. At 6'3", the Utah product has all kinds of length. He had a pair of pass breakups during Tuesday's work.

The Vikings will be back at it with more minicamp action on Wednesday and Thursday.

Other observations from Tuesday's practice

Read more