The Vikings lost considered one of their go-to edge defenders once they traded outside linebacker Jonathan Greenard to the Eagles on the second night of the draft. They’ve not done anything to interchange Greenard since his late-April departure, but that would change in the approaching weeks. It’s “likely” latest Vikings general manager Nolan Teasley will dip into free agency to deal with the position, per Alec Lewis of The Athletic.
The Vikings will head into the season with Andrew Van Ginkel and Dallas Turner as their primary edge defenders. Van Ginkel entered 2025 with a streak of 5 straight full seasons, but neck and head injuries held him out of 5 games. He still racked up 54 tackles, 13 quarterback hits, 11 TFL, seven sacks, two fumble recoveries and an interception.
Meanwhile, after playing just 26.4% of defensive snaps as a first-round rookie in 2024, Turner took on a much larger role in his second season. With injuries also limiting Greenard to 12 games, Turner played 65.6% of snaps and recorded 66 tackles, 15 QB hits, 11 TFL, eight sacks and 4 forced fumbles over a full campaign.
While Minnesota is in good condition with Van Ginkel and Turner in distinguished positions, there isn’t a proven depth behind them. Bo Richter, Chaz Chambliss, Tyler Batty, Cam’Ron Stewart and Arden Walker are next in line. Richter, Chambliss and Batty combined to play in 53 games last yr, but Chambliss was the just one to register a sack. The Vikings were much more reliant on that trio as special teamers, as they totaled just 119 defensive snaps amongst them. As undrafted rookies, Stewart and Walker are facing long odds to earn roster spots, let alone turn into contributors in 2026.
The Vikings have roughly $13.93MM in cap space, leaving enough room so as to add a more established option to enrich Van Ginkel and Turner. Cameron Jordan finally got here off the board when he re-signed with the Saints on Tuesday, but Jadeveon Clowney, Von Miller, Joey Bosa, Leonard Floyd, Kyle Van Noy, Haason Reddick are amongst current free agents. Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores has past experience with Van Noy, whom he coached in Latest England from 2016-18.