After going through some growing pains, edge rusher Dallas Turner is currently flourishing amid the best stretch of his career.
He’s quietly up to 5 1/2 sacks for the Vikings heading into the matchup with the Washington Commanders on Sunday afternoon at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Not that the No. 17 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft is getting too far ahead of himself.
“I don’t really feel like it’s like, ‘He’s here now,’” Turner said. “It’s about continuing to do what I’ve been doing.”
That mature outlook from Turner stems from a lesson he learned in college while playing for legendary Alabama head coach Nick Saban.
“Just being level headed,” Turner said. “Not paying too much attention to the rat poison.”
Wait. What?
Asked for an explanation on the phrase, Turner laughed to himself, then explained how Saban would refer to the outside noise as rat poison. It was his way of trying to get everybody within the program to ignore some of the distractions that might make them feel overconfident.
That mentality has shown up in Turner as he carves out a niche for himself with the Vikings. Never mind that he’s riding a hot streak, recording a sack against the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers, then a pair of sacks against the Seattle Seahawks. He’s not letting himself get complacent.
That focus from Turner impressed veterans like edge rusher Jonathan Greenard and fellow edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel.
“This is a small glimpse of who he can be,” Van Ginkel said. “He’s only getting better so it’s good so see.”
As for defensive coordinator Brian Flores, he said he’s been encouraged by how Turner has continued to put his head down and go to work, even if his playing time has fluctuated since being drafted.
That has gone a long way in Turner taking the next step in his progression.
“It’s the splash plays that everybody says, ‘OK. He’s starting to figure it out,’” Flores said. “There are a lot of the little things that aren’t as splashy that he’s also doing well.”
That’s always been a key for Flores when it comes to development. He loves to use the example of a player who records 10 sacks in a season and doesn’t do anything else to impact the game.
“Let’s say there are 1,000 snaps in a season,” Flores said. “What did he do in those other 990 snaps?”
That’s how Flores has tried to get Turner to understand the importance of doing the little things.
“You’ve got to get gritty first,” Turner said. “You’ve got to get down and dirty to get sexy.”
What does that entail?
“It’s stuff like setting edges, playing the run, taking on the double team to set somebody else up,” Turner said. “Just reading my keys and understanding what I have in front of me will lead to the splash plays and turnovers and all that stuff that everybody likes to see.”
That’s exactly what Flores has been hoping to see from Turner.
“We love it,” Flores said. “He’s also doing a lot of the little things well. I’m excited for him to continue to grow and develop. He’s still young and he’s certainly moving in the right direction.”
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