Dec 24, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings cornerback Andrew Booth Jr. (23) looks on during the game against the Detroit Lions at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports.
The unemployment didn’t last long. Not long at all.
The Dallas Cowboys dropped former Minnesota Vikings cornerback Andrew Booth on Tuesday — and promptly re-signed him to the practice squad on Thursday.
His waiver was procedural, and Booth incurred a demotion, not an outright termination. The Cowboys public relations team tweeted, “The Cowboys signed CB Andrew Booth to the practice squad.”
Booth, 24, has 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 is also lackluster.
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.
But he hasn’t caught on as a Cowboy, at least not yet, 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 efficiently 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-classmate, 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.
Cine is on the Buffalo Bills’ practice squad.
These are the Cowboys’ cornerbacks at the moment:
Dallas is in a rut through nine weeks, needing a win this weekend at beyond without quarterback Dak Prescott, who is battling a hamstring injury. The Cowboys (3-5) currently have a 6.6% chance to reach the postseason, according to DVOA. Not ideal.
The Vikings play the Cowboys next season in Dallas.
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.