In Year 2, Vikings edge rusher Dallas Turner is soaking up lessons from Jonathan Greenard

Just days after a quiet rookie season ended in the playoff loss to the Rams, Vikings edge rusher Dallas Turner said he felt the need to get back to work.

Turner, the former SEC Defensive Player of the Year drafted 17th overall out of Alabama last year, partnered up with Pro Bowl teammate Jonathan Greenard to work on multiple areas of his game.

“We didn’t go nowhere,” Turner said this week as Vikings training camp began, “so we was hitting it strong in the weight room, watching film and picking each other’s brains. He has a lot of knowledge. … It was a good opportunity to be around him this offseason … see how he got to this point in his career.”

Turner and Greenard lifted weights together at the team’s Eagan headquarters and honed pass-rushing skills with trainer Brandon Jordan, a former Michigan State assistant.

Greenard, who has had 24.5 sacks over the last two seasons, said he’s seen more urgency, understanding and collaboration from Turner, who had three sacks in 16 games as a backup last season.

“It’s way different than last year,” Greenard said. “Mindset, he’s more locked in. He’s receiving coaching a lot better. I mean, I’m just ready to see what he can do at this point. I worked with him pretty much all offseason a good bit, and to see him translate it out here on the field, I’m excited to see what he can do.”

Turner is an impressive athlete, leading all edge rushers with a 4.46-second 40-yard dash at the 2024 combine. But he looked a step slow as a rookie. He admitted to feeling slow at times while processing his assignments.

“I hear everything, but I don’t listen to everything,” Turner said. “I definitely hear a lot of stuff. My focus is in this building and on the field right now and being the best teammate I can be … being the best player I can be.”

Turner, 22, also lost roughly $240,000 in February, according to police, in an alleged banking fraud scheme. Eagan police told the Minnesota Star Tribune that the case was forwarded Wednesday to the Dakota County Attorney’s Office for consideration of charges. Sgt. Brian Boekhoff said the suspects live in Florida, and no arrests have been made.

How will Turner, who declined to comment on the case, maintain focus as the season starts?

“Turn my phone off,” he said. “Simple as turn the phone off, get off social media, and just be where your feet are.”

Eyes will still be on Turner once NFL rules allow padded practices beginning Monday. That’s when he can begin to show his physical progress, which has drawn strong early reviews from teammates and coaches. As a rookie, Turner said he wasn’t quite prepared for the speed or strength of the NFL game.

“His body, the shape he was in, just looks so strong,” head coach Kevin O’Connell said. “I think he’s gained a lot of strength. I think he’s gained a lot of understanding of the role. … We’ve got three starters. We really feel like that. That’s a testament to the work Dallas has put in, and he’s going to get a lot of opportunities.”

O’Connell added: “I’m expecting a huge jump from him starting [this week].”

An added complexity to Turner’s NFL transition is the vision that coordinator Brian Flores has for his eventual overall game as a rush-and-cover linebacker. Last year, Turner dropped into coverage at a similar rate (27%) as the Vikings’ primary hybrid edge rusher, Van Ginkel (33%), according to Pro Football Focus. For comparison, Greenard dropped into coverage on 15% of passing downs.

More zone coverage responsibilities require even more film study, which Turner said can help him play up to his 4.46-second speed.

“Getting more comfortable with the pace of the game, getting familiar with offensive recognition: formations, plays, different types of [pass-blocking] sets, going against NFL players and stuff like that in general,” Turner said. “Strength, speed, conditioning, all that stuff. Just really an all-around, overall thing.”

“We’re just looking for him to continue to improve as a rusher, in the run game, early downs, third downs, in the different roles we have him playing,” Flores said. “How many different ways can we rush him? How many different ways can we cover them? He’s been open, and he’s really done a good job in all those areas. We’ll see — I’m excited for him.”

Turner was almost as measured as his veteran defensive coordinator when asked about his own expectations for Year 2.

“All I can do is just still continue to learn, run my race,” Turner said. “Learn from these two dudes [Greenard and Van Ginkel] because they’re All-Pro, two Pro Bowlers; I’d be stupid not to be a sponge. That’s all I can do. I sit back, take whatever opportunity I get and run with it. As long as I get better, that’s all that matters.”

Paul Walsh of the Minnesota Star Tribune contributed to this story.