1 day Ago By Tyler Forness, A to Z Sports
As we enter the doldrums of the offseason, the Minnesota Vikings know how to keep things interesting. On the day when quarterback J.J.
McCarthy spoke to the media for the first time since the fall, they announced a one-year extension with edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel. The move raised a lot of questions about the future of the defense. Van Ginkel ended up getting a one-year extension through the 2026 season, which means the entire defensive line is under contract for the next two seasons.
Not having to think about it is a big deal for a general manager. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah isn't concerned about Dallas Turner The big question after the extension was what this meant for last year's first-round pick Dallas Turner, who the Vikings drafted to be the future at edge rusher. Is there a reason to be concerned ? General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah made an appearance with Paul Allen on KFAN where they discussed this in-depth and there wasn't any concern with the future of Turner.
"Dallas, we think is going to play incredibly well this year. And part of the reason when we drafted Dallas is we already had Van Ginkel and Greenard, and we need to be able to play the three of them together, just because their versatility, then Giggles (Van Ginkel) ability to play linebacker. Dallas has the mental ability to play linebacker, and did some of that at Alabama, so the ability to get them three on the field at the same time, but also that's an edge group where you want them firing off the ball.
You don't want them necessarily playing high into the 90% play time. So there's, there's just going to be space in a rotation." This is a really good point from Adofo-Mensah.
You need to play three edge rushers extensively. The Vikings did just that last year, with four players getting over 450 snaps, and Turner played 310. When you look at the defense that Brian Flores runs, versatility has been a huge factor in their success.
Having all three with the ability to play off the ball is a huge thing and creates multiple issues for offenses. Turner might not have played a significant role yet, but that doesn't mean he's a disappointment or that he doesn't have a future. Turner is primed to be a huge player for the Vikings this year and beyond.
This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission..
