Courtesy of Vikings Vikings second-round pick Andrew Booth Jr. underwent knee surgery on November 28, 2022.
Minnesota Vikings third-year cornerback Cam Dantzler went missing in Week 2 against the Philadelphia Eagles.
The starting corner, after blowing coverage on a pair of big plays in the first half, was quietly benched by the coaching staff. He bounced back, playing every defensive snap against the Detroit Lions last Sunday.
However, his job isn’t nearly as secure as once thought.
With a pair of rookie corners pressing for playing time, Dantzler may lose a grip on his starting role, KSTP’s Darren Wolfson revealed.
Zulgad: ‘Frustration’ With Cam Dantzler Could Open Door for Rookie Corners
On a September 29 airing of the SKOR North podcast, Wolfson revealed that with second-round pick Andrew Booth Jr. returning from a quad injury soon, it may not be a matter of if, but when Booth takes the starting outside corner spot from Dantzler.
Considering fourth-round rookie Akayleb Evans took Dantzler’s place in the second half of the Eagles game, Wolfson added that he wouldn’t be surprised to see either rookie start to take snaps from Dantzler.
“I absolutely see Andrew Booth Jr. being a starter. They really like the Mizzou kid, Akayleb Evans,” Wolfson said. “Don’t be shocked if Dantzler continues to struggle for a series or two on Sunday if we see Evans immediately… but for now it’s still Cam Dantzler’s job.”
SKOR North’s Judd Zulgad added that it’s not a matter of ability for Dantzler, who has had many lockdown performances in his young career, but a matter of mental errors.
“Dantzler, I think is a talented player, I don’t think he’s in the right spot a lot of times. I think there’s a coaching frustration there,” Zulgad said. “I wonder if Booth will end up challenging him here. They clearly like him, he got some first-team snaps in training camp. I wouldn’t be shocked if Booth can stay on the field consistently if there is a switch there at the starting job if Dantzler continues to struggle with assignments, moreso than anything [else].”
Head coach Kevin O’Connell addressed benching Dantzler in Week 2, saying the coaching staff wanted to get a look at Evans, however, ESPN’s Kevin Seifert read through the lines and also found the move to be curious.
“O’Connell downplayed rookie CB Akayleb Evans replacing starter Cameron Dantzler. He said Dantzler is still a starter but added: ‘We had talked about maybe getting Akayleb some time here and there,’ ” Seifert tweeted. “An interesting thing to keep an eye on. The game wasn’t THAT out of hand.”
Vikings Defense Struggling to Stop the Pass
Dantzler’s biggest blunder of the season came early against the Eagles, where instead of sticking with his receiver, nailed down on an out route that wasn’t his assignment.
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But moving past that play, the Vikings defense as a whole has allowed shallow crossing routes to move the chains far too often in the past two weeks. The soft zone coverage that’s akin to a bend-don’t-break mentality on defense has been difficult to watch the past two weeks.
But asked if that is by design or error, veteran linebacker Jordan Hicks told Wolfson there have been miscommunications in coverage over the past two weeks while the defense continues to adopt defensive coordinator Ed Donatell’s system.
The Vikings defense has allowed the second-most yards per game (413.3) through three weeks, however, they also rank ninth in points allowed per game (19.3).