Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores. I can’t hide what may bring setback, the financial chalanges must be address properly…
Tuesday marked the start of Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores’ weekly press conference for the regular season. As per normal, he highlighted the difficulty the club faces on Sunday and complimented Brian Daboll, Daniel Jones, and the offensive weapons of the Giants; but, what stuck out the most was what Flores said about two prominent Vikings players.
Dallas Turner is interested in playing with the Vikings.
Despite the absence of J.J. McCarthy from the lineup on Sunday, the Vikings still have a first-round pick scheduled to make his eagerly awaited NFL debut. Even though Dallas Turner, a 21-year-old pass rusher out of Alabama, is ranked fourth on Minnesota’s unofficial depth chart, he will play against the Giants.
“We’ve got a role envisioned for Dallas,” Flores said. “I’m not gonna give you (the details) right now, but I think we’ll see that play out in-game. That changes. If he’s got the hot hand, we leave him in.”
Veterans Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel are the starters at OLB, and they’ll both play quite a bit. But Pat Jones II and Turner will mix in as well, and as Flores said, the rotation is malleable based on how players are performing. On obvious passing downs, you could see three or even all four of those players on the field together.
Flores and the Vikings have been very impressed by what they’ve seen from Turner since they picked him 17th overall in April. He had a strong training camp and showed off his tools on just a few reps in the preseason opener against the Raiders. After an impressive training camp, he only got a few reps to showcase his skills in the preseason game against the Raiders.
“Very athletic, very smart, tough — nothing but positives, quite honestly,” Flores said. “I think one of the good things for him is he’s in a room with guys like Greenard, guys like Ginkel, and he’s like a sponge with that group as far as extracting information and finding ways for him to apply some of those things with his skill set. Excited to see him play on Sunday.”
Back in the spring, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell talked about wanting to reduce Harrison Smith’s workload a bit this year. Smith, 35, played over 1,100 snaps last season as a true every-down player. He’s averaged over 1,000 snaps over the last six regular seasons.
In theory, the Vikings have the depth to give their longest-tenured player some plays off here and there in 2024. Theo Jackson, their No. 4 safety, is very capable of stepping in alongside Camryn Bynum and Josh Metellus if needed. The Vikings also have four experienced cornerbacks — Stephon Gilmore, Byron Murphy Jr., Shaq Griffin, and Fabian Moreau — who they can use. In reality, Smith is a hard guy to take off the field, Flores has learned.
“If he’s standing by me, I don’t really feel good about that,” a smiling Flores said. “Maybe that’s the play where he goes in there and makes the game-changing play. So it’s hard to get him out. There’s a plan to maybe get him out of there, a series or two, but that same plan was in last year and I kinda overruled all of that. Put it on me.”
Smith will once again be a central part of the Vikings’ defense in his 13th — and perhaps final — season with the franchise. His 34 career interceptions are two behind former teammate Patrick Peterson for the most among active players, and three behind Joey Browner for fourth in Vikings history.
In 2024, the Vikings have enough depth to occasionally bench their player with the longest tenure. Their No. 4 safety, Theo Jackson, is more than capable of filling in for Josh Metellus and Camryn Bynum if necessary. Additionally, the Vikings have four capable cornerbacks: Stephon Gilmore, Byron Murphy Jr., Shaq Griffin, and Fabian Moreau.
Flores has discovered that Smith is actually a difficult man to remove from the field.
Flores grinned and replied, “I don’t really feel good about that if he’s standing by me.” “Perhaps that’s the play where he enters and changes the course of events. So it’s challenging to free him. A series or two of plans are in place to maybe get him out of there, but I kind of overruled everything last year, even though that identical strategy was in place. Put that on me, please.”
In his thirteenth — and possibly last — season with the Vikings, Smith will once more play a key role in the defense. With 34 career interceptions, he trails only current player Patrick Peterson by two and Joey Browner by three for fourth place in Vikings history.
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