Just in from Minneapolis: The Vikings have placed starting cornerback Cameron Dantzler on injured reserve. Dantzler will now miss the team’s next four games, and the earliest he can return to action is the team’s Week 14 game at the Detroit Lions.
Dantzler was initially ruled out for the team’s upcoming game this weekend at the Buffalo Bills with an ankle injury suffered during the team’s Week 9 win at the Washington Commanders, but he will now be out for the next month.
Although Dantzler’s presence in the lineup will be sorely missed, the Vikings are more than capable of filling this spot with two rookies- Akayleb Evans and Andrew Booth. Evans is expected to now fill the team’s CB2 role opposite veteran Patrick Peterson, and played pretty well in relief of Dantzler during the Washington game.
Booth, meanwhile, has been dealing with some injuries of his own this season, and is being eased back into action via special teams play after missing some time of his own early in the year. However, per defensive coordinator Ed Donatell, Booth is expected to come back into the starting lineup when he is fully healthy. Donatell also said that it is possible for Booth to see more playing time this weekend in Buffalo.
In addition to Evans and Booth seeing more playing time, the Vikings signed veteran cornerback Duke Shelley to the active roster. The 5-foot-9 Shelley primarily plays slot corner and was a member of the divisional rival Chicago Bears from 2019 to 2021. He has been on the Vikings’ practice squad for the entirety of this year.
Given how well Dantzler has been playing this year, this is a significant blow to the Vikings’ cornerback depth. Although the Vikings defense has been better than last year, corner is arguably the weakest link of the unit. The absence of Dantzler is no doubt going to hurt, and we shall see how well the Vikings are going to defend the passing game without the services of their top young corner.
