Packers Urged to Replace Rasul Douglas With Former Vikings CB

Dantzler is on the Saints’ practice squad, so he can be added to the Packers’ active roster as long as he’s not one of New Orleans’ four protected players. The 2020 third-round pick has plenty of talent and doesn’t turn 26 until next September, meaning he’s worth taking a flier on for the second half of 2023.

Plus, it can’t hurt that Dantzler spent the first three years of his career with the Vikings, so he should know the division well.

Cameron Dantzler Started for Better Part of 3 Years With Vikings

GettyCornerback Cameron Dantzler, formerly of the Minnesota Vikings, is currently employed by the New Orleans Saints.

Minnesota abruptly moved on from Dantzler after the team hired defensive coordinator Brian Flores during the offseason. The new DC clearly didn’t like Dantzler’s fit in his heavy-blitz scheme that often leaves corners in man coverage with little or no help behind them in the secondary.

That said, Dantzler had some early success with the Vikings as a frequent starter across his first three professional seasons. Minnesota selected the CB with the No. 89 overall pick in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft. He appeared in 35 games with the Vikings an earned 26 starts.

Dantzler finished his career in Minnesota with 17 pass breakups, 6 tackles for loss, 3 interceptions and 3 forced fumbles, per Pro Football Reference. Following his departure from the franchise, Dantzler caught on for a brief time with the Washington Commanders via the NFL waiver wire. Washington chose to move on a little less than three months later, after which Dantzler had short stints with the Buffalo Bills and Houston Texans before landing in New Orleans.

Packers Thin at Cornerback After Rasul Douglas Trade, Eric Stokes Injury

GettyGreen Bay Packers rookie cornerback Carrington Valentine.

Dantzler would be a far cry from a savior signing in Green Bay, but the cornerback room is much thinner than expected halfway through the season.

The decision to trade Douglas to Buffalo was the equivalent of a gut punch to multiple players in the Packers locker room who considered the cornerback among the team’s leaders. Beyond that, Eric Stokes missed the second half of the 2022 campaign after an injury required him to undergo surgeries on both his knee and foot. He returned to the active roster for the first time ahead of the team’s matchup with the Denver Broncos on October 22. Stokes pulled a hamstring while playing special teams in that game and quickly found himself back on IR.

As of Monday, Green Bay’s depth chart lists Jaire Alexander and Keisean Nixon as the two starting cornerbacks. Nixon is an All-Pro kickoff return man but hasn’t been great in coverage this year, affording opposing quarterbacks a collective completion percentage of 73.5% and a collective rating of 98.8 across 34 targets, per Pro Football Reference.

Rookie Carrington Valentine and Corey Ballentine are the team’s two backup cornerbacks as of Monday. Alexander praised Valentine’s efforts against Los Angeles Rams backup QB Brett Rypien as the Packers snapped their four-game losing streak on Sunday, but Valentine still has a long way to go to prove he’s a viable option long-term in Green Bay’s secondary.