Once Promising Former Vikings CB Auditions for Cardinals
Minnesota Vikings fans may not have realized it, but cornerback Andrew Booth did not make the Dallas Cowboys’ 53-man roster last month.
The Arizona Cardinals need cornerback help after a Week 2 win over the Carolina Panthers, and one more Vikings defender got the call for a tryout.
The former Vikings’ 2nd-Rounder currently lives on the free-agent wire, and with any luck, he could join the Arizona Cardinals’ roster sometime this week.
A Blast from the Vikings’ Recent Past Shows Up for an ARI Tryout
Booth is looking for another gig.
Andrew Booth Gets a Quick Look from Arizona
At least for an audition, Booth swung down to Arizona this week. SI.com‘s Donnie Druin explained, “The Arizona Cardinals worked out the following four players on Tuesday after their Week 2 win against the Carolina Panthers: CB Andrew Booth, CB Shemar Bartholomew, CB Ekow Boye-Doe, DL Zach Carter.”
“The workouts come as a result of the Cardinals losing their three starting cornerbacks in Garrett Williams, Will Johnson, and Max Melton during Sunday’s win.”
That workout occurred on Tuesday, and at the time of this article’s publication on Thursday, no deal had materialized. Previously, Bartholomew worked out for Minnesota, creating a mini connection beyond the more obvious Booth one.
A Failed Tenure in Dallas
Booth played 118 defensive snaps for the Cowboys last season with Mike Zimmer as defensive coordinator and produced a 35.6 Pro Football Focus grade. In PFF speak, that is utterly dreadful.
Dallas wanted one more look, though, during the 2025 offseason and summer, keeping Booth attached to the 90-man roster throughout training camp and the preseason. But when the rubber hit the road for roster cuts in late August, Booth failed to make the 53-man roster and hit waivers shortly after.
No team claimed Booth, and he’s looking for work.
No Luck with the Vikings
Minnesota scooped Booth out of the 2022 NFL Draft from Round 2, on tap to solve the longstanding cornerback drought. The plan never came to fruition. In fact, the cornerback draft drought is still in effect: the Vikings haven’t successfully drafted a corner since 2015, a man named Trae Waynes.
Injuries and poor performance sullied Booth’s time in Minnesota, and following a two-year trial, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah traded Booth to the Dallas Cowboys in the summer of 2024 for a different CB named Nahshon Wright, who took back J.J. McCarthy’s first career interception for a touchdown in Week 1.
The Cardinals’ Current CB Room
It’s a hurtin’ unit, but here’s the room CB room that Booth would join if he gets the call-back:
- Sean Murphy-Bunting (Injured)
- Garrett Williams (Injured)
- Will Johnson
- Max Melton (Injured)
- Starling Thomas V (Injured)
- Jalen Thompson
- Elijah Jones
- Denzel Burke
- Kei’Trel Clark
- Chigozie Anusiem (Practice Squad)
- Ekow Boye-Doe (Practice Squad)
More on the Cardinals’ CB Plight
Arizona Sports‘ Kellan Olson explained the CB troubles for the Cardinals this week: “We often label some players’ irreplaceable.’ Those are members that a team cannot afford to lose to an injury. Any starting cornerback qualified for the Arizona Cardinals, and they lost all three to injury in a 27-22 win over the Carolina Panthers.”
“Max Melton left in the mid-first quarter with a knee injury and did not return after getting carted to the locker room, while star nickelback Garrett Williams was helped by multiple Cardinals staffers to the locker room late in the fourth quarter after grabbing at his left leg in significant pain.”
The Cardinals’ defense ranks 15th in the NFL per EPA/Play entering Week 2, close to smack dab in the middle of the pack.
Olson added, “The other starter, rookie Will Johnson, injured his groin shortly after that. All three were not out there for Carolina’s final drive of the game. Arizona already lost Sean Murphy-Bunting and Starling Thomas V to season-ending injuries before the season started. If Melton, Williams and Johnson were to miss next week, the Cardinals would essentially be down their top five corners.”
“Without Melton for the majority of the game, the Cardinals played fifth-round rookie Denzel Burke in his place. Kei’Trel Clark was in for Williams through the not-so-fun late dramatics. Both broke up a pass and did effective jobs to not look like the guys that should respectfully not be out there when the game is on the line.”
If Booth signs in Arizona, he could see playing time quite soon, given the barrage of injuries.
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