New Trade Destination Rumored for Cameron Dantzler
First, it was the demotion to CB6 in the preseason. Then came the disgruntlement. After that, trade rumors to the San Francisco 49ers ensued because Kyle Shanahan’s team needed a cornerback. The Vikings decided to give him some playing time soon after.
Now, it’s a rumored trade to the Kansas City Chiefs.
That’s been the way of things for Minnesota Vikings second-year corner Cameron Dantzler amid the last two months. Mysterious individual pandemonium.
Dantzler, the NFL’s best rookie cornerback in 2020 per Pro Football Focus, found a place in head coach Mike Zimmer’s doghouse. And he’s only started inching toward the exit in the last week. The Vikings used Dantzler sparingly in Weeks 1-3, preferring free-agent signee Bashaud Breeland as the starting cornerback opposite Patrick Peterson. Unfortunately, Breeland has performed poorly, making the Breeland-over-Dantzler tactic a total head-scratcher.
Bleacher Report detailed on Thursday a handful of trades that could still shakedown, and Dantzler’s hypothetical trek to Kansas City made the cut. In their estimation, Dantzler would join the Chiefs to compete for a Super Bowl while Minnesota settles for a 4th-Round pick in return. BR’s Kristopher Knox wrote:
“With Stephen Gilmore headed to Carolina, the Kansas City Chiefs are down one option when it comes to addressing their defensive needs. That’s unfortunate, because their defense—ranked 27th against the pass, 31st overall and 31st in points allowed—has been terrible And Kansas City was reportedly interested in acquiring Gilmore. The Chiefs could instead turn their attention to Minnesota Vikings cornerback Cameron Dantzler, a 2020 third-round pick who has fallen out of favor in Minnesota because of his lack of special teams value.“
The last sentence is the bizarre part. According to Zimmer’s words, Dantzler needs to play better special teams to get in the coaching staff’s good graces.
What that really sounds like – is an excuse to nitpick. In the grand scheme of things, plus finding a way to win football games with a struggling defense — does anyone really care if Dantzler is a special teams sluggard? If that bugs you, well, you’re extremely old school. All the power to you.
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Minnesota must rectify its whole defense, from the secondary to the run-stopping. For now, the Vikings somehow – this is not a joke – rank 11th in the NFL for points allowed. In that metric, they’re just fine. Via DVOA, Minnesota ranks 14th through four weeks. Yet, for some reason, the defense feels a lot lousier than that.
Dantzler’s production outshines Breeland’s beyond the shadow of a doubt. Dantzler should start. It doesn’t help his weird saga that he has the coronavirus right now. But that should heal any day.
Because Dantzler’s pass coverage and tackling are necessary to repair a sputtering defense, the Vikings won’t trade him, especially to Kansas City. General Manager Rick Spielman already sent Mike Hughes to Missouri this summer – he’s not going to make the Vikings the minor leagues for Chiefs defensive backs. Hell, Breeland came from Kansas City, so the arrangement of the asset swap almost feels like a rotten trade. Hughes’ PFF grade in 2021 is 70.8. Breeland’s is 32.0, the worst in the NFL of any cornerback anywhere. Fool me once.
In that same vein, Dantzler recently qualified via snaps played for PFF’s leaderboard. He is the sixth-highest-graded cornerback in the world.
The Vikings will not trade their cornerback with the highest upside, particularly when the defense ranks night-worst in passer rating allowed through four games.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
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