Yet, that never materialized the way the Vikings envisioned. So, on Aug. 9, KAM traded Booth to the Dallas Cowboys instead of compounding his mistakes. How’s that working out for them? Not well.

Related: Minnesota Vikings Trying to Trade Akayleb Evans?

Andrew Booth has mastered the art of allowing touchdowns

Once hyped up as a potential first-round pick, Andrew Booth has shown just how big of a mistake that would have been. The Vikings may have dodged that bullet, but they still fell for the former Clemson cornerback by making him the 42nd overall pick in 2022.

While Booth is still just 23, it quickly became clear that he’s not one of the top three cornerbacks on the roster. Heck, he may not even be among the top four or five corners.

So, the Vikings traded him for a former third-round pick in Nashon Wright. While Wright probably won’t make the roster either, it’s starting to look like Booth will be buried on the Dallas depth chart too, if he even makes the team.

• Andrew Booth’s preseason stats with Cowboys: 17 targets, 12 receptions, 208 yards allowed, 1 TD

His performance during Saturday’s 26-19 loss to the Cowboys won’t help either. Below, we can see a familiar sight: Booth letting up a 78-yard touchdown to Chargers receiver Simi Fehoko, a fourth-year player who’s now on his third team.

EASTON STICK TO SIMI FEHOKO. 78-YARD TD.

📺: #LACvsDAL on @NFLNetwork
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/Q5G9Quj7Tp

— NFL (@NFL) August 24, 2024

Andrew Booth Jr. is a cartoon character. Mf was getting a sip of Gatorade or something. pic.twitter.com/zQ8CEpHUlS

— The Brohioan (@TheBrohioan) August 24, 2024

Uffda. To Vikings fans, this is nothing new. Everyone had high hopes for Booth, but he just couldn’t live up to his potential. Now, he’s Mike Zimmer’s problem in Dallas. Good luck with that one.

Related: Multiple UDFA Defensive Linemen Projected to Make Vikings 53-Man

Andrew Booth Jr.’s end with Minnesota Vikings seems near

Kwesi Adofo-Mensah took over as the Minnesota Vikings general manager and got to work on his first draft. He selected Georgia safety Lewis Cine with his first pick. Andrew Booth Jr. then became pick number two.

The Clemson cornerback had dealt with injuries, but the upside seemed immense. Alec Lewis, Vikings beat writer for The Athletic, seems to believe the end is near.

Booth is healthy but he has rarely played. Duke Shelley, Ward and McGlothern have taken most of the snaps with the No. 2 defense. A.J. Green III and 2023 undrafted cornerback Jaylin Williams have earned as many — if not more — reps than Booth. Similar to Cine, the Vikings would be dinged about $1.7 million by cutting him, but that’s a minor tax to hang onto someone like Murphy or McGlothern who could become major contributors.

Alec Lewis on Andrew Booth Jr. during training camp

Related: Vikings’ Cornerback Might Have Cringiest Interview in Team History

Both Booth Jr. and the Minnesota Vikings hoped for a better outcome. The talented corner had opportunity to bolster a position group that needed it for 2024. He seemed to miss that memo though. Really, it has just been a failure to launch.

Andrew Booth Jr. would leave nothing with Minnesota Vikings

Similar to his time in college, Andrew Booth Jr. struggled to stay healthy. When he was, it resulted in a whopping 23 games and just two starts over two seasons. Booth Jr. has recorded only 20 tackles and one pass defensed during his time in the NFL. After recording snaps on defense 25% of the time as a rookie, Booth Jr. was on the field only 13% of the time last year.

Andrew Booth is getting picked on man 😭 pic.twitter.com/hxd82IPcWr

— 𝙆𝙖𝙨𝙚 (@verysadvikings) July 27, 2024

The Vikings competitive rebuild seems to be in a much better place than it was headed. That is largely due to better personnel decisions than those made out of the gate for Adofo-Mensah. Both Cine and Booth Jr. have gone down as massive misses, and they could be jettisoned during this same period.

Related: Intense Punter Competition Emerges at Minnesota Vikings Training Camp

2024 fourth-round draft pick, who was showing potential thus far in the offseason, Khyree Jackson was killed in a car crash just a few weeks back. A couple weeks later, second-year cornerback Mekhi Blackmon tore his ACL on the very first day of Minnesota Vikings’ Training Camp. The cornerback room seems cursed right now.

Zero confidence in cornerbacks Akayleb Evans and Andrew Booth Jr.

Appearing on KFAN this past week, Minnesota Vikings’ beat writer Alec Lewis (The Athletic) had some extremely critical thoughts on cornerbacks Evans and Booth Jr. Words that might be warranted too.

According to @Alec_Lewis via @KFAN1003, he has ZERO confidence that #Vikings CB Akayleb Evans is going to be successful this year and CB Andrew Booth Jr. he feels even worse about 👀

“Like I got to, I'm just speaking from what I've seen and what I've talked to, people I've… pic.twitter.com/FTWK2jq2jq

— The Purple Persuasion (@TPPSkol) July 26, 2024

Like I got to, I’m just speaking from what I’ve seen and what I’ve talked to, people I’ve talked to, like I have zero confidence… that Akayleb Evans is going to be really successful as a cornerback this year. I just can’t rely on that at all. Andrew Booth Jr., I feel even worse about.

Alec Lewis (The Athletic) via KFAN

There wasn’t a whole lot said, but it’s quite clear that Lewis has zero confidence in Evans or Booth Jr. to step up and take one of the starting outside cornerback spots. He goes even further stating that he feels even worse about Booth Jr. compared to Evans.

What’s the issue with Minnesota Vikings’ cornerbacks Akayleb Evans and Andrew Booth Jr.?

Evans is coming into his third year in the NFL after being drafted in the fourth-round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He’s been benched numerous times throughout his tenure here in Minnesota. He’s posted an abysmal 47.2 overall defensive Pro Football Focus (PFF) grade his rookie year. His 2023 season wasn’t much better either where he posted a slightly better overall defensive PFF grade of 54.9.

Booth Jr. was also drafted in the 2022 NFL draft but in the second-round. He hasn’t faired much better posting an overall defensive PFF grade of 45.3 his rookie year and 68.6 last year. However, he only played 256 snaps in 2023.

Related: Vikings’ Cornerback Might Have Cringiest Interview in Team History

Both of these players have a lot to prove this year. They’ve struggled understanding the defense and can’t seem to figure out a way to cement themselves as a reliable corner. They now have a perfect opportunity in front of them to show the team that they belong in the NFL.

• 20 total tackles
• 0 sacks
• 0 interceptions
• 1 pass defense

Pretty bare stats for a player drafted in the second round. Not only that, but his Pro Football Focus (PFF) grades aren’t much better. In 2022, he posted an overall PFF defensive grade of 45.3. In 2023, he improved slightly but still a below average grade of 68.6.

Andrew Booth Jr. has a head-scratching interview on the first day of training camp

Despite failing to even win even a backup role over two seasons, Booth Jr. may have a chance this year due to extremely unfortunate situations. Khyree Jackson, who was drafted in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL draft, showed potential to get some starting reps this season. Unfortunately, he was killed in a car accident along with two others just recently.

Mekhi Blackmon, another cornerback he who got starting reps over Booth Jr. last season, tore his ACL on the first training camp practice of the year and will miss the entire season. With a cornerback room that is significantly depleted right now, Booth Jr. has a chance to prove himself, but does he actually even care to play?

Related: Contract Extensions for Minnesota Vikings’ Brass on the Horizon?

In a recent interview with Darren Wolfson (KSTP), Booth Jr. is being asked questions about his role on the team and why this offseason is extremely important to him. Let’s just say… it’s quite interesting at times.

Does #Vikings CB Andrew Booth Jr. think this is a joke? Can’t take him seriously in this.

Even Doogie has the tone of like “what the 🤬 are you saying”

Anyone else get those vibes? 🤔pic.twitter.com/0qk4dKPVp3

— The Purple Persuasion (@TPPSkol) July 25, 2024

After watching the video, you can see Booth Jr. never really makes eye contact with Wolfson and is seen smacking his gum over and over again. His answers seem vague, and he just doesn’t seem to show determination to truly want to make an impact for this team.

Andrew Booth Jr.’s outlook in training camp and into the 2024 season

Despite the assumptions of this interview, this may just be his personality. You have to give the player the benefit of the doubt. With that said, these types of interviews won’t do him any justice. He’s going to have to perform at a high level if he wants to make this team.

Related: Vikings Pay Homage to Khyree Jackson at Training Camp

BoothJr. has struggled learning the system over the years, but this is the time for him to shine. With the depleted cornerback room, Booth Jr. has a great chance to make the roster and maybe even cement himself as a rotational player. Something that seemed slim only a few short weeks ago. In the end, it’s up to him to prove that on the field throughout these next weeks at Minnesota Vikings’ training camp.

Last season the Minnesota Vikings defense got a boost when Brian Flores took over for Ed Donatell. A change in coaching philosophy, and ability, made an impact on that side of the ball. There’s still a lot of room for growth, though. And there are more new faces on this squad, than old. The most familiar is the secondary… but is that a good thing?

Who rounds out the Minnesota Vikings secondary?

ESPN Staff Writer Kevin Seifert recently took a stab at an initial 53-man roster projection. Byron Murphy Jr. is the returning veteran cornerback. Murphy Jr. will start alongside free agent Shaq Griffin. The rest of the spots at the position are largely in flux. The group of five that Seifert sees stick includes Murphy Jr, Griffin, Mekhi Blackmon, Akayleb Evans, and Andrew Booth Jr.

Griffin, signed as a free agent, and Murphy are likely to be the team’s top players here. In nickel alignments, the hope is that Murphy will move inside and one of the remaining three players can reliably man the other outside spot. Evans was a starter for most of 2023 but was benched in two games late in the season.

Kevin Seifert – ESPN

Minnesota did use a fourth round draft pick on a cornerback in the form of Oregon’s Khyree Jackson. He was tragically killed in a car accident earlier this month.

Related: Vikings Rookie Khyree Jackson Dies in Car Accident — Alcohol a Possible Factor

Jackson was seen as a potential dark horse to grab significant reps, and the Vikings are now forced to deal with his loss both on and off the field. On Tuesday, they signed former fan-favorite Duke Shelley as depth, adding even more intrigue to this position battle.

Projected Vikings Cornerback Depth Chart

1. Byron Murphy Jr
2. Shaq Griffin
3. Akayleb Evans
4. Mekhi Blackmon
5. Duke Shelley
6. — CUT LINE —
7. Andrew Booth Jr.
8. Dwight McGlothern
9. A.J. Green III

Does Shelley’s signing push Andrew Booth Jr. off the final 53-man roster? A second round pick in 2022, he simply hasn’t developed according to plan. There have been reports and rumors floating around all offseason that he’s a longshot to make the roster out of camp.

Last season he played in just 13% of the defensive snaps, and he recorded just one pass defensed. With eight tackles across 17 games of action, he has been a complete non-factor. As the last guy in the group, he could be overtaken by a standout training camp performer.

What about the Minnesota Vikings safeties?

Cornerback isn’t the only area of intrigue when it comes to the Minnesota Vikings secondary. Harrison Smith and Cam Bynum are entrenched as the starting safeties. Josh Metellus has become a hybrid star at the position as well. Former first round pick Lewis Cine is a question mark though, and that phrasing might be too kind.

Josh Metellus #ProBowlVote pic.twitter.com/QkxfTQWd3o

— Football Analysis (@FBallAnalysisYT) December 14, 2023

Seifert projects the Vikings to carry five safeties. Those include Harrison Smith, Cam Bynum, Josh Metellus, Theo Jackson and Jay Ward. That group includes a good mix of veterans and young talent. Ultimately someone will need to emerge as a replacement for Smith, in the not-too-distant future. It was supposed to be Cine… who’s now unlikely to make the roster.

Three players from this group are likely to be starters — Smith, Metellus and Bynum. The Vikings crafted a unique role last season for Metellus that was less safety and more hybrid linebacker. This list does not include 2022 first-round pick Lewis Cine, who has played only 10 defensive snaps in two seasons due to injuries and other issues. He finished last season as the team’s sixth safety.

Kevin Seifert – ESPN

Kwesi Adofo-Mensah made Cine his first ever draft pick as the general manager for Minnesota. The former Georgia standout has failed to launch, and his run may be over.

Related: Light Bulbs Just Aren’t Turning On for Lewis Cine or Andrew Booth Jr.

After suffering a significant injury during his rookie season, nothing Cine has been able to do since has gotten his career back on track. As a cut candidate, it may behoove the Vikings to look for a trade partner rather than just sending Cine packing.

Projected Vikings Safety Depth Chart

1. Harrison Smith
2. Cam Bynum
3. Josh Metellus
4. Theo Jackson
5. Jay Ward
6. — CUT LINE —
7. Lewis Cine

The Minnesota Vikings could also look to make another move, to improve their secondary. They had a ton of cap space, even before the Christian Darrisaw extension. I’d imagine they probably have even more now, unless they structured it outside of what we normally see in the NFL, which are very cap-light early on.

For Cine, that means looking like a first-round pick, thanks to being the 32nd player selected in 2022. Considering he has at least three safeties ahead of him on the depth chart, playing time won’t be easy to find. Hell, making the 53-man roster looks like it could be a real challenge.

For Booth, the former No. 42 overall pick, it means earning a role in a crowded yet open cornerback room that’s eager to find reliable starters. While their draft pedigree may have kept Booth and Cine on the Vikings’ roster during their first two seasons, only production can save them heading into 2024.

Minnesota Vikings insider: Light bulbs aren’t turning on for Lewis Cine or Andrew Booth

That’s why there is ever increasing doubt surrounding the likelihood that either of Cine or Booth are able to escape roster cuts later this summer, when the Vikings trim from 90 players down to 53 (plus a 16-man practice squad) later this summer.

Several local Minnesota Vikings insiders are starting to question whether Cine and Booth are even worth keeping on the roster. Andrew Krammer (Star Tribune) became the most recent reporter to pedal doubt about the two 2022 draft picks making the final 53-man, during his latest Access Vikings podcast.

“The phrase that I’ve heard behind the scenes is the the light bulb is not going on with [Lewis Cine and Andrew Booth Jr.] specifically. This is getting to be the time where you question whether or not Cine and Booth are going to make the roster. They have to cut their teeth on special teams. They have to earn those roles. If the special teams coordinator can’t use you, that’s the death knell. That means you can’t be used pretty much anywhere.

So it might need to be a fresh start for Lewis somewhere else, and maybe that fresh start comes as quickly as this fall, or potentially the same for Andrew Booth. But these guys are also incredibly intriguing athletes, and maybe they’re certainly hoping for another step in training camp before they have to make those decisions on whether or not to cut those guys.”

Vikings insider Andrew Krammer on Lewis Cine, Andrew Booth

Lewis Cine has played just 10 games since being drafted, and he’s rarely seen the field on defense, playing a grand total of 10 defensive snaps. He hasn’t played much more on special teams either, seeing just 118 snaps across the past two seasons.

Related: 10 Best Minnesota Vikings QBs of All-Time

Andrew Booth has gotten a bit more playing time, including playing in all 17 games last year, totaling 256 snaps on defense over his first two seasons. Yet, when the Vikings drafted the 6-foot cornerback out of Clemson, they envisioned him quickly becoming a starter. Instead, he’s started just two out of the 23 games he’s played.

Minnesota Vikings could cut their losses with Cine, Booth

Cine has had to watch several other safeties jump ahead of him on the depth chart, including a former sixth-round pick in Theo Jackson. In addition to Harrison Smith, Cam Bynum, and Josh Metellus, Cine is also competing with 2023 fourth-round pick Jay Ward. Yet, Cine ($3.1M) is paid much more than Ward ($1M) and Jackson ($900K).

If other safeties are better, yet getting paid less, then what’s the point of having Cine on the roster? There isn’t one, especially if you have given up on Cine’s long-term future as a viable NFL starting safety. You can find depth safeties after final cuts who would make better depth pieces than Lewis Cine.

Related: Vikings Beat Writer Says to Ignore Negative Reports About J.J. McCarthy

The same goes for Booth, who earns a bit less at $2.2 million, but that’s still a million more than Mekhi Blackmon and Akayleb Evans, both of whom have passed Booth on the depth chart.

Buried on a cornerback depth chart that features several players who have been specifically signed to fit defensive coordinator Brian Flores’ system, Booth could very well find himself on the outside looking in when it comes time to trim the roster later this fall.