Former Vikings CB Is Back on the Free Agency Market
Josh Frey
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This March, the Minnesota Vikings made a number of moves to flip their defense from the unit that ranked near the bottom of the league in many categories during the 2022 season. Among those moves, the Vikings made a rather surprising decision to waive cornerback Cam Dantzler after he started nine games for Minnesota before injuries got the better of him.
After being waived, the former Vikings CB was promptly picked up by the Washington Commanders, and the assumption was that Dantzler would get a chance to compete for a spot on Ron Rivera’s defense in 2023. However, it appears that the cornerback is back on the move after news broke that he had been released once again, this time by the Commanders.
Dantzler entered the NFL as a third-round pick of the 2020 NFL Draft by the Vikings, and during that rookie season with Minnesota, he was one of the few pleasant surprises in the secondary. He appeared in 11 games, making 10 starts, and recorded 46 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 4 passes defended, 2 interceptions, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery.
Pro Football Focus agreed that the rookie season with Dantzler at CB went relatively well, giving him a defensive grade of 70.9, including a respectable coverage grade of 69.8.
For whatever reason, though, Dantzler did not see much time on the defense to start the 2021 season. In four of Minnesota’s first six games, he played less than a third of the team’s defensive snaps, including three games where he did not step foot on the field as a defender.
Dantzler started seven of Minnesota’s final 11 games, but his playing time remained inconsistent throughout the regular season. For example, in Week 10 against the Los Angeles Chargers, he started and played 57 defensive snaps, but then in Week 11 against the Green Bay Packers, he came in as a reserve and played just 15 snaps with the defense.
This inconsistency was the main theme across Dantzler’s remaining time with the Vikings as in 2022, he battled with injuries for much of the year. He started the first eight games for Minnesota before suffering an ankle injury that landed him on IR.
That’s where he spent the next four games for the Vikings before coming back as a starter in Week 14 against the Detroit Lions. However, he would still play just 34 snaps in that game before being inactive for three of the final four games of the regular season and not playing in the Wild Card loss to the New York Giants.
Now, the former Vikings CB hits the open market again hoping to find a final landing spot for the 2023 season. Dantzler will turn 25 years old on September 3rd.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.