Once Promising Viking Cut by Cowboys

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Barring a practice squad change of heart, that’s it for Andrew Booth in Dallas.

Once Promising Viking Cut by Cowboys

The former Minnesota Vikings 2nd-Rounder experienced a failure to launch in Texas, dropped by Mike Zimmer and the Cowboys on Tuesday. Booth will hit waivers and then free agency if unclaimed.

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Dallas traded for Carolina Panthers wideout Jonathan Mingo, and Booth was the odd man out per roster space. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport tweeted, “To make room for Jonathan Mingo, the Cowboys have released CB Andrew Booth.”

Booth, 24, played just three games in Dallas this season, a total non-factor in Zimmer’s defense, experiencing action on 38 defensive plays. Opposing quarterbacks fired up a 118.7 passer rating when targeting Booth in a limited sample, and Booth’s 38.9 Pro Football Focus grade was also unspeakably awful.

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Still, through the perk of youth, Booth will likely get another audition, likely a fringe signing to a team’s practice squad. The Philadelphia Eagles, for example, love to take flyers on high-profile college performers, so monitor that organization amid the teensy Booth sweepstakes.

In August, when it became apparent that Booth hadn’t taken a Year No. 3 summer jump, Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah traded the youngster to Dallas in exchange for cornerback Nahshon Wright, who lives on the current purple practice squad. Booth then made Dallas’ 53-man roster and all was well for the Clemson alumnus.

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But he just didn’t catch on as a Cowboy, even inside Dallas’ currently suspect defense.

Booth had intermixed with third-teamers for most of Vikings training camp, so folks could see the writing on the wall that he’d be waived or traded by Minnesota in late August. And that happened.

The young corner actually played quite well when called upon in 2023, tallying a 68.6 Pro Football Focus score last season on about 100 coverage snaps. However, that did not translate to 2024, at least not yet.

Neither Booth nor his draft-class made, safety Lewis Cine, took flight inside the Vikings’ defense since joining the NFL in 2022. Adofo-Mensah drafted the pair as his first two picks on the job a bit over two years ago, focusing on defense while leaving Kirk Cousins in place, along with Dalvin Cook and Adam Thielen, for one season. Fast-forward to 2024, and all those veteran offensive pieces have departed.

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Dallas’ season is spiraling rapidly out of control, owners of a 3-5 record while quarterback Dak Prescott hit injured reserve for at least four games.

Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL. 

All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.