Cameron Dantzler Is on the Move Again
Former Minnesota Vikings cornerback Cameron Dantzler hit the pause button on the NFL.
Cameron Dantzler Is on the Move Again
He’s heading to the UFL, a recently merged league of the XFL and USFL, probably to hone his skills and hope for another NFL chapter soon.
PFN Newsoom’s James Larsen tweeted Wednesday, “BREAKING: The San Antonio Brahmas have signed DB Cameron Dantzler. Dantzler needs no introduction, having been an NFL starter with the Minnesota Vikings for a couple of years. Just a tremendous pickup for this Brahmas secondary.”
The Brahmas got off the ground in their inaugural season last year, finishing 3-7 during their maiden voyage and obviously setting sights on improvement in Year No. 2. San Antonio is 2-0 so far in 2024 and coached by Wade Phillips, the father of current Vikings offensive coordinator Wes Phillips.
Dantzler should snag ample playing time in the UFL, effectuating the “big fish in a small pond” motto this spring. He joined the New Orleans Saints last September and later played nine special teams snaps altogether. New Orleans said goodbye to the veteran defensive back in January, and he had no nibbles in free agency.
What’s more, Dantlzer has bounced like a pinball in the last year. Minnesota waived Dantzler on March 10th, 2023. 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 to their 90-man roster, where he’d presumably vie for a regular season roster spot.
Seven weeks later, Buffalo waived Dantzler as well. Then, during the NFL’s final roster trimdowns in August, Dantzler was an odd man out in Houston with the Texans. An adventure, indeed. As a visual, this is his career resume to date:
- Minnesota Vikings (2020–2022)
- Washington Commanders (2023)
- Buffalo Bills (2023)
- Houston Texans (2023)
- New Orleans Saints (2023)
- San Antonio Brahmas (2024, UFL)
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. Still, Minnesota parted ways with Dantzler, adding newcomer CBs Byron Murphy, Mekhi Blackmon, and Joejuan Williams.
In 2022, Dantzler scored a game-sealing fumble recovery — which was really just Dantzler yanking a football away from former teammate Ihmir Smith-Marsette — over the Chicago Bears at U.S. Bank Stadium. It turned out to be his sweetest highlight of the season and perhaps his career.
The Brahmas play the St. Louis Battlehawks this Sunday, though it is unclear when Dantzler will hit the field.
Dantzler will turn 26 in September.
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.
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