Vikings release cornerback Cam Dantzler
In a surprising move, Friday the Minnesota Vikings have released cornerback Cameron Dantzler.
Unlike after the release veterans Eric Kendricks and Adam Thielen, there were no parting words or thoughtful messages from general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, head coach Kevin O'Connell and owners Zygi and Mark Wilf.
Instead, the Vikings released a brief roster announcement saying the 24-year-old has been waived.
Dantzler was a starting cornerback opposite of Patrick Peterson at the start of last season but eventually lost his job to Duke Shelley. After Dantzler's release, the Vikings' cornerback room is down to 2022 rookies Akayleb Evans and Andrew Booth Jr.
Last season's cornerbacks and their current status:
- Patrick Peterson – free agent
- Chandon Sullivan – free agent
- Cam Dantzler – free agent
- Duke Shelley – free agent
- Akayleb Evans – second year of his four-year rookie contract, a $1 million cap hit
- Andrew Booth Jr. – second year of his four-year rookie contract, $1.89 million cap hit
- Kris Boyd – free agent
Dantzler had a $3 million cap hit and releasing him saves the Vikings about $2.7 million, which after cutting Adam Thielen earlier Friday the Vikings are an estimated $5.9 million over the salary cap, according to OverTheCap.
The Vikings ranked 30th in yards per pass allowed and 22nd in opponent passer rating in the NFL last season, so it's not a huge shock that the secondary is being blown up.
Related: Adam Thielen bids farewell to Minnesota in emotional post
Title: Bring Me The Sports co-owner, editor Email: joe@bringmethenews.com Twitter: @JoeBMTN Education: Southwest Minnesota State University Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota Expertise: All things Minnesota sports Nelson has covered Minnesota sports for two decades, starting his media career in sports radio. He worked at small market Minnesota stations in Marshall and St. Cloud before joining one of the nation's highest-rated sports stations, KFAN-FM 100.3 in the Twin Cities. There, he was the producer of the top-rated mid-morning sports show with Minnesota Vikings announcer Paul Allen. His radio experience helped blossom a career as a sports writer, joining Minneapolis-based Bring Me The News in 2011. Nelson and Adam Uren became co-owners of Bring Me The News in 2018 and have since more than tripled the site's traffic and launched Bring Me The Sports in cooperation with the Sports Illustrated/FanNation umbrella. Nelson has covered the Super Bowl and numerous training camps, NFL combines, the MLB All-Star Game and Minnesota playoff games, in addition to the day-to-day happenings on and off the field of play. Nelson also has extensive knowledge of non-sports subjects, including news and weather. He works closely with Bring Me The News meteorologist Sven Sundgaard to produce a bevy of weather and climate information for Minnesota readers. Nelson helped launch and manage the Bring Me The News Radio Network, which provided more than 50 radio stations around Minnesota with daily news, sports and weather reports from 2011-17.