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Minnesota Vikings cornerback Cameron Dantzler’s name is spiraling across NFL fan bases.
After seeing the Vikings deem Dantzler a healthy scratch in their season opener, the San Francisco 49ers inquired about a potential trade for the second-year corner a month ago.
He’s quickly become one of the biggest trade targets, most recently being named a trade candidate the Kansas City Chiefs should pursue by Bleacher Report.
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Bleacher Report Suggest Bogus Trade
Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox listed his biggest potential trade scenarios in the shadow of the Stephon Gilmore trade.
While Dantzler is an enticing trade prospect across the league, Knox’s trade scenario is devoid of any understanding of the cornerbacks situation in Minnesota. He suggested the Vikings accept a fourth-round pick for Dantzler, a 2020 third-round pick who exceeded expectations in his rookie year.
Here’s Knox’s explanation:
Chiefs Receive: CB Cameron Dantzler
Vikings Receive: 2022 fourth-round pick
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.
“First of all, he has to play special teams,” Minnesota head coach Mike Zimmer told reporters last month. “If you’re a backup player, you have to play special teams.”
After starting in 10 of his 11 appearances last year, Dantzler has played only 34 percent of the defensive snaps this season. He’s been strong in coverage, though, allowing an opposing passer rating of only 41.7.
Kansas City could get a defensive boost with a player who’s still on his rookie contract, while Minnesota would get something back for someone whose long-term future is cloudy at best.
Knox, referring to a month-old comment from Zimmer, failed to mention Dantzler played 72 snaps Week 4 against the Cleveland Browns when Bashaud Breeland exited the game with an illness after playing six snaps. Dantzler allowed just one reception on four targets for 12 yards. He was the No. 6-ranked cornerback by Pro Football Focus following his performance against the Browns.
Dantzler tested positive for COVID-19 last week and was forced to miss Week 5 against the Detriot Lions. He has yet to supplant Breeland as the team’s starting outside corner across from Patrick Peterson.
However, Dantzler’s punched well-above his weight and warrants at the very minimum the same draft stock used to acquire him — not a fourth-round pick.
Dantzler is also the only cornerback with starting experience on the roster who is under contract beyond 2021 — an asset the Vikings are likely unwilling to let go of easily. He’s clearly gaining traction in the trade market and could be someone the Vikings receive more calls about approaching the trade deadline.
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Dantzler Turns a Corner on Twitter
With the virality of Bashaud Breeland’s NSFW tweet after the Vikings’ win over the Lions on Sunday, Dantzler’s good behavior went largely unnoticed.
He’s had his own mishaps on Twitter; namely, his cryptic tweets are the team’s first win of the season over the Seattle Seahawks.
But on Sunday, Dantzler was at home watching the game and felt what many fans have endured for the past five weeks — a spike in blood pressure.
“Way to fight team, now I’m going to bed blood pressure up,” Dantzler tweeted.
