Week 16 Vikings Inactives: Cam Dantzler Is Out, Rookie CB to Make NFL Debut
Josh Frey
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On the Minnesota Vikings final injury report of the week, the team listed both LB Eric Kendricks and CB Cam Dantzler as questionable for Saturday’s Week 16 game against the New York Giants. Now, it appears that Kendricks will suit up for the game, but the Week 16 Vikings inactives list states that Dantzler is officially out for Christmas Eve. Here is the full list:
- CB Cam Dantzler
- OLB Luiji Vilain
- C Garrett Bradbury
- G Kyle Hinton
- DL Ross Blacklock
Alongside Dantzler (ankle) missing his second consecutive game, and sixth in seven weeks, starting center Garrett Bradbury (back) will not suit up for the third straight week. Bradbury has been dealing with a lingering back problem that was aggravated following last Saturday’s comeback win over the Colts when he was part of a car accident.
While the Vikings will miss their starting center, they will have experienced players CB Duke Shelley and C Austin Schlottmann in line to make starts. Shelley has made multiple big plays for the defense in recent weeks, and Schlottmann has been a capable backup at the center spot.
Minnesota will also debut new faces this week as speedy rookie CB Kalon Barnes will suit up for the first regular season game in his NFL career. The Vikings signed the 2022 seventh-round pick off the Miami Dolphins practice squad ahead of their game against the Colts, but they did not activate him for Week 15. This week, we may finally see the Baylor product on the field.
For a Vikings team that has been banged up in the secondary for much of the latter half of the regular season, another capable defensive back would be a welcomed addition to the squad. We shall see if/when Barnes gets on the field this week.
On the other sideline, the New York Giants have five inactive players for Week 16 as well. This includes starting CB Adoree’ Jackson, who will miss his fifth consecutive game with a knee injury. Here is the full list of Week 16 Giants inactives:
- WR David Sills
- CB Adoree’ Jackson
- CB Rodarius Williams
- G Shane Lenieux
- G Jack Anderson
Missing this game alongside the Jackson is fellow CB Rodarius Williams. On the offensive line, Shane Lemieux will miss his 13th game of the season. New York will also be without depth piece Jack Anderson at the guard position. He made a start in Week 13 in the Giants 28-20 loss to Dallas Cowboys. Overall, Anderson has played in 11 games for the Giants during his second NFL season.
Kickoff between the Giants and Vikings is scheduled for 12 PM CST at U.S. Bank Stadium. This game is the Vikings final regular season home game of the 2022 season, but they will be back during the Wild Card round of the playoffs. There’s a decent possibility that they will be facing these same New York Giants for that playoff game.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho with a bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing. He also earned minors in History, Human Biology, and Journalism. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys marathon training, playing video games, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. For more of his opinions, check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.