Oct 31, 2021; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Noah Brown (85) and Minnesota Vikings cornerback Cameron Dantzler (27) and safety Harrison Smith (22) during the game at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports.
The Minnesota Vikings waived cornerback Cameron Dantzler on March 10th.
He was scooped off waivers soon after by the Washington Commanders, who later said sayonara to Dantzler in May.
On June 7th, the Buffalo Bills signed Dantzler, 24, to their 90-man roster, where he’d presumably vie for a regular season roster spot. And now seven weeks later, Buffalo has waived Dantzler, too.
ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg tweeted Friday, “The Bills have waived CB Cameron Dantzler Sr. with an injury designation. He came to yesterday’s practice late, without his helmet, and did not participate. The team signed cornerback Kyron Brown in a corresponding move.”
That tweet seemed to imply some tomfoolery from Dantzler, but it appears he injured his hamstring, which led to the waiver.
Buffalo Rumblings reporter Ajay Cybulski also mentioned Dantzler’s departure on Twitter, “Bills GM Brandon Beane on WGR: CB Cameron Dantzler tweaked his hammy, and it was more than a 2-3 day type situation. Doesn’t rule out getting Dantzler back at some point.”
The writing on the wall suggests Dantzler hurt his hamstring, and it won’t be a speedy recovery. The Vikings encountered a similar situation this week with undrafted free agent wide receiver Malik Knowles, who was waived but returned to the team via the non-football-injury (NFI) list.
We shall see if Dantlzer follows suit in Buffalo or is forced to miss a significant chunk of the 2023 season.
Dantzler showed various flashes of productivity since entering the NFL as a 3rd-Round draft pick in 2020 but finished three straight seasons with a whimper due to injury or otherwise. Dantzler fired up a praiseworthy 70.9 Pro Football Focus grade as a rookie, followed by an even better 73.8 score in 2021. Yet, after getting injured midseason in 2022, Dantzler never seemed to recover and lost his starting job.
Vikings fans and pundits knew the 2023 offseason would entail defensive change, but Dantzler wasn’t necessarily on the list of probable cuts. He was inexpensive, young, and possessed the ‘upside’ label. The Commanders and Bills waivers, especially prior to the preseason, put a severe damper on that prognosis.
Last year, Dantzler scored a game-sealing fumble recovery — which was really just Dantzler stealing a football away from former teammate Ihmir Smith-Marsette — over the Chicago Bears at U.S. Bank Stadium. It turned out to be his biggest highlight of the season and perhaps his career.
Nicknamed The Needle, Dantzler will await another team’s phone call in 2023 or thereafter. His back-and-forth between rosters in 2023 — before any games are played — is not a promising sign for the fourth-year defender.
He’ll turn 25 in October.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.