Vikings Sophomore Corner Cameron Dantzler Has a Great Opportunity
K. Joudry
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The Vikings’ sophomore corner Cameron Dantzler understands that he has a massive opportunity.
Coming into the season, most of us expected Dantzler to be a critical part of a rebuilt defense. The competition at corner was obviously going to be a lot more intense, and yet the expecation was that young upside would win in the end. Until the bye week, that assumption was largely unfounded. Dantzler played the majority of Week 4, but it was only when the veteran Bashaud Breeland had to leave due to an illness (an ailment that happened to coincide with a blown coverage assignment). Otherwise, Dantzler has played sparingly. He got in on 26% and 34% of the defensive snaps in Week 2 and 6.
He recently spoke to the media about the opportunity that’s in front of him: “I’m very confident. I always had to be prepared when my name would be called, so I’m very excited for the moment to be back out there with the guys, making plays and helping this team win.” Dantlzer also suggested that Peterson has been helping him this season: “He teaches us young guys a lot about the ins and outs and the game. Being under his wing, I just feel very confident and just how he’s aware when I go out there Sunday and perform for the team.”
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With Peterson on injured reserve, Cameron Dantzler will need to start for the Vikings. His first game will come against the Cowboys, a team that has considerable talent on offense. Amari Cooper has torched us in the past, and CeeDee Lamb is no joke. Their OL is still strong, and their Elliott-Pollard RB duo is similarly formidable. Of course, Dak is back, so there really isn’t a weak point on that offense. One could argue that the main reason to doubt Dallas rests in their head coach, Mike McCarthy. Even a less-than-stellar coach, though, ought to be able to score points with that collection of talent.
Dantzler addressed the challenge that Dallas presents: “CeeDee, he’s a great receiver […] Last year he played mostly in the slot so I didn’t really guard him as much last year. But it looks like they’ve moved him outside this year, so I have to be ready.” The goal, Dantzler goes on to explain, is “to come together throughout the week and just study film on those guys and see what [the secondary] can do to expose their weaknesses.”
So far, Minnesota’s run defense has struggled. I’m expecting that to improve post-bye. The Dalvin Tomlinson-Michael Pierce DT duo ought to be at (or very near) full health. Anthony Barr is back and has the capacity to elevate. Our front seven can matchup with the Dallas run game.
The pass defense gives me more reason for concern.
If Dantzler struggles, it’ll be a long game for the purple. If Dantzler succeeds, though, Minnesota will have a fighting chance on Halloween night (a game I’m expecting to be at least a little scary).
Even though our upcoming game is very important, it’s safe to say that Minnesota will have a tough task for several weeks. We go on to play the Ravens, Chargers, and Packers. All of them have impressive QBs and legit talent at WR. Dantlzer will have his hands full. The crazy thing is that he actually did quite well as a rookie, so there’s reason to believe he’s up to the challenge. It’s not like there’s no precedent for him finding NFL success. He has already proven he can be a strong NFL corner.
The onus, then, falls on him to further show that he’s capable. Mike Zimmer also needs to ensure he’s adjusting his defense to fit Dantzler’s abilities. If these things happen, it’s reasonable to believe that Dantzler could not only thrive as a replacement for Peterson, but also as one of our starting two CBs for the rest of the season.