Though the Vikings traded up to take him with the 42nd overall pick in the 2022 draft, cornerback Andrew Booth Jr. had been mired on the team’s depth chart for most of his time in Minnesota.
Vikings trade Andrew Booth Jr. to Cowboys for Nahshon Wright in swap of cornerbacks
Andrew Booth Jr., the Vikings’ second-round pick in 2022, is the first prominent departure from a draft class that has yielded meager returns.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
August 10, 2024 at 3:40AM
On Friday afternoon, his run with the Vikings ended.
The team traded the former second-round pick to the Cowboys for Nahshon Wright in a swap of former Day 2 draft picks who never caught on with their original teams. Wright, a third-round selection for Dallas in 2021, had played mostly special teams in his three years with the Cowboys, starting only three games in that time. In Minnesota, Booth started just two in two years.
He came to Minnesota after a series of injuries in high school and college and played only six games as a rookie before a torn meniscus ended his 2022 season in November. The Vikings replaced defensive coordinator Ed Donatell with Brian Flores before the 2023 season; they then took cornerback Mekhi Blackmon in the second round of the draft last year and signed Byron Murphy Jr. to give themselves an established corner. Though Booth played 17 games in 2023, he never seemed to catch on in Minnesota; he’ll get his chance to restart his career with former Vikings coach Mike Zimmer, now the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator.
Booth is the first prominent departure from a 2022 draft class that has yielded meager returns in two seasons. Safety Lewis Cine, the team’s top pick in General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s first draft, has yet to start a game in the NFL and was listed on the third team in the Vikings’ opening depth chart of training camp. Third-round linebacker Brian Asamoah II is behind 2023 undrafted free agent Ivan Pace Jr. on the depth chart. Second-rounder Ed Ingram is the team’s starter at right guard, while fourth-rounder Akayleb Evans is fighting to start for a second season at cornerback, but neither player appears to be a lock for a second contract.
With the Booth trade, the Vikings hope to recoup something for a draft pick that didn’t work out and continue providing help for a secondary that needs depth. The 6-foot-4 Wright, who ran a 4.49-second 40-yard dash coming out of Oregon State, gives them a corner with the size and length to press receivers as Flores incorporates more man coverage. He is the cousin of Blackmon, who appeared headed toward a larger role in the team’s defense before he tore his ACL in the Vikings’ first practice of training camp.
After the trade for Wright, the Vikings have now added five defensive backs to the roster since the start of training camp. The team signed cornerback Jacobi Francis, brought back Duke Shelley for a second stint, added safety Bobby McCain and signed veteran corner Fabian Moreau before Friday’s trade for Wright. The Vikings are still awaiting the return of Shaq Griffin from a hamstring injury and won’t have Blackmon back until 2025. And while the July 6 death of fourth-round pick Khyree Jackson has affected the team in areas beyond the depth chart, it did mean the loss of a lengthy corner who might have contributed as a rookie.
By trading Booth, the Vikings will save $1.46 million in salary cap space. They’ll have a year to determine if they want to bring back Wright, who will be a free agent after the season.
Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold is completing more passes more often for more touchdowns than he ever has. “What we’re trying to get from Sam is to play the best football of his career,” coach Kevin O'Connell said.
