Vikings

Behold, The Cameron Dantzler Coming Out Party

Photo Credit: Brad Rempel (USA TODAY Sports)

Like most of this year’s rookie cornerbacks, Cameron Dantzler had a rough start to the season. After an exciting training camp, fans started to expect a hot start from Dantzler. But the first six games were a disaster. Before the bye, Dantzler gave up 27 catches on 37 targets for a staggering 316 yards. After missing most of three games with a concussion, Dantzler has been heavily involved. In the three weeks since returning, Dantzler has been playing like one of the best cornerbacks in the league.

The latest example came against the Jacksonville Jaguars; an outstanding performance where Dantzler shut down D.J. Chark and generated two turnovers, keeping the Vikings alive in a chaotic game.

In first six weeks of 2020, Dantzler’s PFF grade ranked 83rd. In the last three, he has ranked third. This kind of turnaround isn’t uncommon for rookies. At a certain point, the speed and stress of the NFL clicks into place and the ability that got them drafted kicks in. To understand Dantzler’s improvement, we need to look at the issues he had earlier in the season.

One issue that plagues Dantzler is related to his size. He weighed in at 190 pounds at the NFL combine, but that was probably inflated. Either way, he’s slender by cornerback standards. Wide receivers can take advantage of that by pushing him around to generate separation. Sometimes they risk OPI, but if you have a strength advantage, you can get away with it without drawing that flag too often.

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He’s been playing much more physically, even risking a pass interference flag himself. Here are a few examples from the Week 11 loss to the Dallas Cowboys where Dantzler holds his ground against physical technique from tight end Dalton Schultz and wide receiver Michael Gallup.

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The most catastrophic Dantzler plays came not because of poor coverage, but because of losses at the catch point. Even dating back to college, he has been a sticky man-to-man cornerback. From draft analyst Kyle Crabbs:

“He’s got great reach and disruptive abilities at the catch point. Shows needed mobility to flip the hips and carry receivers up the field. He’ll check the boxes needed to play outside and run with receivers in coverage. There’s some transitional lag when he looks to redirect and burst forward, but his flat-footed breaks show more spring and allow him to work into contested targets from off coverage.”

That has mostly born out in the league, even against Julio Jones. But at the catch point, he lost the ball far too many times. Like a dog that caught his tail and doesn’t know what to do, Dantzler had some trouble executing once he had actually gotten himself into position.

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This has vastly improved since Dantzler’s return from injury. Here’s an incredibly difficult rep against Robby Anderson. Dantzler has no safety help, and the fastest threat on the field is hitting him with a double move:

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When a rookie is struggling, it’s often thanks to the speed of the game at the NFL level. When rookies have to think to keep up, parts of their technique can regress in a way that nobody saw in college. With Dantzler, he never struggled too much to locate the ball at Mississippi State, but the NFL created the problem for it. When the game slowed down for him, his ball-tracking abilities were once again unlocked.

Sunday’s win against Jacksonville marked the first game where Cameron Dantzler played on every defensive snap. That is a signal from Mike Zimmer and the Vikings that Dantzler’s training wheels are off. Should this level of play continue, expect Zimmer to throw harder and harder assignments at Dantzler, to the benefit of his struggling teammates.

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