Cameron Dantzler

Cameron Dantzler Sr. (born September 3, 1998) is an American football cornerback for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Mississippi State and was selected in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings.

Cameron Dantzler
No. 11 – New Orleans Saints
Position:Cornerback
Personal information
Born: (1998-09-03) September 3, 1998
Hammond, Louisiana, U.S.
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High school:Saint Thomas Aquinas (Hammond)
College:Mississippi State (2017–2019)
NFL Draft:2020 / Round: 3 / Pick: 89
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status:Practice squad
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of 2022
Tackles:149
Forced fumbles:3
Fumble recoveries:2
Pass deflections:17
Interceptions:3
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Early years

Dantzler attended Saint Thomas Aquinas High School in Hammond, Louisiana. He played cornerback and quarterback in high school. As a senior, he passed for 1,381 yards and 11 touchdowns and rushed for 1,901 yards and 26 touchdowns. He committed to Mississippi State University to play college football.[1][2]

College career

Dantzler redshirted his true freshman season at Mississippi State. He played in all 13 of the Bulldogs' games as a redshirt freshman, finishing the season with 25 tackles (two for loss) with four passes defended and an interception.[3][4] Dantzler entered his redshirt sophomore season as a starter, finishing the season with 43 tackles (two for loss), a sack, two interceptions and a team-leading 11 passes defended and was named second-team All-SEC by the Associated Press.[5][6] Additionally, Dantzler was one of only four cornerbacks in the conference not to surrender a touchdown pass and had a 41.1 passer rating allowed according to Pro Football Focus.[7]

Dantzler entered his redshirt junior season on the watchlists for the Bednarik, Nagurski and Jim Thorpe Awards and was named a preseason All-American by Phil Steele.[8][9] After a 2019 season where he had 2 interceptions and 10 passes defend, Dantzler decided to forgo his last year of eligibility and declared for the 2020 NFL Draft.[10]

Professional career
Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand span40-yard dashVertical jump
6 ft 2+1⁄4 in
(1.89 m)		 188 lb
(85 kg)		 30+5⁄8 in
(0.78 m)		 9 in
(0.23 m)		4.64 s34.5 in
(0.88 m)
All values from NFL Combine[11]

Minnesota Vikings

Dantzler was drafted in the third round (89th overall) by the Minnesota Vikings in the 2020 NFL Draft.[12] He was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list by the team on October 28, 2020,[13] and activated three days later.[14]

2020 season

Heading into his first training camp, Dantzler was listed as a starting cornerback opposite Mike Hughes. He faced competition from fellow rookie Jeff Gladney for his starting job. At the end of training camp, head coach Mike Zimmer named Dantzler the starting left cornerback opposite Hughes.

Dantzler made his first career start and NFL debut in the Vikings' season-opening loss to the Green Bay Packers. He recorded four tackles in the 34-43 loss. Dantzler missed Weeks 2 and 3 with a rib injury before returning as a starter in Week 4 against the Houston Texans, recording four tackles in the 31-23 win. Dantzler started in the Vikings' Week 5 and Week 6 games against the Seattle Seahawks and Atlanta Falcons, but was placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list after coming into close contact with a teammate who tested positive for the virus. He missed Week 7 before returning in the Vikings' Week 8 win against the Packers. Dantzler started the game and recorded 2 solo tackles before being carted off the field and taken to the hospital due to a serious neck injury.[15] However, he was able to return in time for the Vikings' Week 11 contest against the Dallas Cowboys. In the Vikings' Week 13 contest against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Dantzler recorded his first career interception off a pass thrown by Mike Glennon and forced a fumble on Chris Conley which he also recovered during the 27–24 overtime win. Dantzler finished his rookie season appearing in 11 games (10 starts) and recording 2 interceptions, 46 combined tackles, four passes defended, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. [16]

2021 season

In a surprise move, the Vikings chose to make Dantzler a healthy inactive in the 2021 season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals.[17] Following Week 3, head coach Mike Zimmer stated he would be speaking with Dantzler over the latter venting his frustration over his lack of playing time on his Twitter account.[18]

2022 season

On November 12, 2022, Dantzler was placed on injured reserve due to an ankle injury and was later reactivated on December 10.[19][20] He was released by the Vikings on March 10, 2023.[21]

Washington Commanders

On March 13, 2023, Dantzler was claimed off waivers by the Washington Commanders.[22] He was released on May 30, 2023.[23]

Buffalo Bills

On June 7, 2023, Dantzler was signed by the Buffalo Bills to a one year contract.[24] On July 27, 2023, Dantzler was released with an injury designation.[25]

Houston Texans

On August 22, 2023, Dantzler signed with the Houston Texans.[26] He was waived on August 29, 2023.[27]

New Orleans Saints

On September 20, 2023, Dantzler signed with the New Orleans Saints practice squad.[28]

References
  1. Cronin, Courtney (June 13, 2015). "3-star Louisiana athlete commits to Mississippi State". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved 2023-09-22.
  2. Lopez, Andrew (2015-06-16). "Mississippi State felt like 'home' for St. Thomas Aquinas ATH Cameron Dantzler". NOLA.com. Retrieved 2023-09-22.
  3. Faulk, Robbie (August 19, 2018). ""Bigger, Stronger, Faster" Dantzler Set for Sophomore Season". 247Sports.com. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
  4. "No. 23 Mississippi State beats Louisville in TaxSlayer Bowl". The Clarion-Ledger. December 30, 2017. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
  5. "Development key in Dantzler's success". Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal. September 5, 2019. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
  6. "No. 1 Alabama has 5 players first-team AP All-SEC selections". APNews.com. December 3, 2018. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
  7. Holder, Jim (July 15, 2019). "Dantzler, Thompson picked for Defensive Player of the Year list". WTVA.com. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
  8. Murray, David (August 7, 2019). "Dantzler Dialing-In for an Award-Winning Season". 247Sports.com. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
  9. Horka, Tyler (July 2, 2019). "This Mississippi State football player could be an All-American". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
  10. Horka, Tyler (December 6, 2019). "Mississippi State cornerback Cameron Dantzler to declare for NFL Draft, skip bowl game". clarionledger.com. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
  11. "Cameron Dantzler Combine Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved March 4, 2020.
  12. "2020 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2023-05-18.
  13. Goessling, Ben (October 28, 2020). "Vikings place Cameron Dantzler on COVID-19 reserve list". StarTribune.com. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  14. "Vikings' Cameron Dantzler: Back from COVID-19 list". CBSSports.com. October 31, 2020. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  15. Cronin, Courtney (November 1, 2020). "Minnesota Vikings CB Cameron Dantzler taken to hospital, has full movement of body". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
  16. "Jacksonville Jaguars at Minnesota Vikings - December 6th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2020-12-08.
  17. Ragatz, Will (September 15, 2021). "The Surprising Fall of Cameron Dantzler, Whose Future With the Vikings is Suddenly Unknown". SI.com. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
  18. Schad, Chris (September 27, 2021). "Cameron Dantzler tweets out frustration over playing time". SI.com. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
  19. Peters, Craig (November 12, 2022). "Vikings Place Cameron Dantzler, Sr., on Injured Reserve & Sign Duke Shelley to 53". Vikings.com. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
  20. "Vikings Activate Cameron Dantzler, Sr., & Place Jonathan Bullard on Injured Reserve". Vikings.com. December 10, 2022.
  21. Nelson, Joe. "Vikings release cornerback Cam Dantzler". SI.com. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
  22. "Commanders claim CB Cam Dantzler Sr. off waivers". www.commanders.com. Retrieved 2023-03-15.
  23. Alper, Josh. "Commanders cut Cameron Dantzler, put Andrew Norwell on PUP list". Pro Football Talk. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
  24. Glab, Maddy (June 7, 2023). "Bills sign CB Cameron Dantzler". BuffaloBills.com.
  25. "Bills Sign CB, Cut Another". Sports Illustrated Buffalo Bills News, Analysis and More. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  26. "Houston Texans Transactions (8-22-2023)". HoustonTexans.com. August 22, 2023.
  27. "Texans announce initial 53-man roster". HoustonTexans.com. August 29, 2023.
  28. "New Orleans Saints announce roster moves". NewOrleansSaints.com. Retrieved 2023-09-21.
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