Former Vikings CB Cam Dantzler Claimed by Washington Commanders
Josh Frey
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Late last week, the Minnesota Vikings decided to waive CB Cam Dantzler in a move to save cap space heading into this week’s opening of free agency. And now, on the first day of the negotiation period, Dantzler has been claimed off waivers by the Washington Commanders.
Dantzler, a third-round pick in 2020 by the Vikings, burst onto the scene in his rookie year by being a player forced to step up into a major role after Minnesota suffered a number of injuries in their secondary. He started 10 games and appeared in 11 for the Vikings during 2020, recording 46 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 4 pass defenses, 2 interceptions, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery.
2021 was a down-year for the CB, and it seemed that he butted heads a little bit with head coach Mike Zimmer during the season. He started only seven games during that season, recording 53 tackles, 8 pass defenses, and a forced fumble.
Following Zimmer’s departure, Dantzler was poised to return to the starting lineup in 2022, and he did just that early in the season, but an ankle injury suffered against these same Commanders landed him on injured reserve in the middle of the season.
He missed four games due to this injury, and in his first start back from IR, he gave up two touchdowns in Minnesota’s loss to the Detroit Lions. After that, Dantzler didn’t start again for the Vikings, opening up the possibility that he could be off the roster following the season’s end.
In Washington, Dantzler joins a secondary that includes Kendall Fuller, Danny Johnson, Benjamin St.-Juste, Tariq Castro-Fields, Christian Holmes, and DaMarcus Fields. Meanwhile, the Vikings continue to be on the search for depth in their secondary that is very short on veteran presence without Dantzler and the recent departure of Patrick Peterson in free agency.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho with a bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing. 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.