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Minnesota Vikings cornerback Cameron Dantzler can’t seem to catch a break.
The 2020 third-round pick was relegated to a reserve role to start this season and, coming off the best performance by any Vikings cornerback this season, Dantzler could miss this week’s matchup with the Detroit Lions.
He tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday, per Ian Rapoport. If Dantzler, who is fully vaccinated, is asymptomatic, he can return to team activities after producing two negative tests 24 hours apart, per NFL COVID-19 protocols. If he is symptomatic, he must wait a minimum of 10 days to return.
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‘Keep Me in Your Prayers’
Dantzler posted a 76.8 Pro Football Focus (PFF) defensive grade for his performance in a 14-7 loss to the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. It was the highest single-game PFF grade by any Vikings cornerback this season. Dantzler filled in for Bashaud Breeland, who played just six snaps before leaving the game with an unrelated illness.
Dantzler, a starter of 11 games as a rookie last season, has been irked by his lack of playing time on defense. He’s posted a series of cryptic tweets over the past few weeks. The elder statesman of the cornerback room, Patrick Peterson, sent Dantzler the message to stay ready.
“Stay ready. You never know when that opportunity is going to come and you don’t want to piss away that opportunity when it come,” Peterson said on the All Things Covered podcast.
Dantzler did just that. After his performance on Sunday, he is the sixth-highest PFF-graded cornerback in the NFL with a 76.2 position grade. Meanwhile, Breeland is ranked the worst cornerback by PFF with a 32.0 position grade, placing 111th of 111 graded corners who have played at least 63 snaps this season.
Dantzler has decidedly proven he’s capable of handling his duties. He sent fans a message on Twitter Monday night, saying, “Fully vaccinated so this shouldn’t have me out (too) long. Keep me in you guys prayers.”
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Dantzler vs. Breeland
Dantzler’s performance this season compared to Breeland couldn’t be more starkly contrast.
Breeland, in three games and 165 snaps played, has allowed 18 receptions on 21 targets for 257 yards and four touchdowns to the tune of a nearly perfect 157.2 passer rating allowed in coverage. He was trending downward before missing Week 4, allowing all 13 pass attempts thrown his way to be caught for 150 yards and two TDs in Weeks 2 and 3, per PFF.
Dantzler has a much smaller 88-snap sample size to compare, but he’s performed considerably better than Breeland. Dantzler has allowed just three receptions on nine targets for 35 yards and zero touchdowns. He’s allowed a 46.1 passer rating compared to Breeland’s 157.2 passer rating allowed.
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