Early Friday afternoon, the Dallas Cowboys completed a blockbuster trade with the Minnesota Vikings. Ok, maybe not a blockbuster like the video rental store back in its heyday.
The Cowboys have sent CB Nahshon Wright to Minnesota in exchange for CB Andrew Booth. It is a trade that will go relatively unnoticed by the rest of the league, but it is important to both the Cowboys and the Vikings for the same reason.
Nahshon Wright and Andrew Booth both fell short of expectations when they were drafted with the 99th pick of the 2021 NFL Draft and the 42nd overall pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, respectively.
Wright was the apple of former Cowboys’ DC Dan Quinn’s eye, mainly because of the prototypical size and length that Quinn has coveted in his cornerbacks since Richard Sherman and Brandon Browner in the Legion of Boom during his time in Seattle.
Booth was a 2nd round selection in the first draft for new Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and HC Kevin O’Connell. What are the Cowboys getting in Andrew Booth?
Let’s take a look at how he arrived to the NFL and just how he can be a solid addition to the Cowboys’ secondary for the 2024 season.
Hitting Bullseyes at Archer High School
Andrew Booth’s high school career was like most other NFL players. He was a dominant force at a level of play where he was clearly superior to his peers.
Booth attended Archer High School in Lawrenceville, Georgia, his hometown. In his time there, he accumulated 162 tackles and 13 interceptions to earn a 5-star rating and a scholarship to Clemson University.
Other notable players to enter the NFL from Lawrenceville include Detroit Lions WR Kalif Raymond and Washington Commanders FB Alex Armah.
Earning His Stripes at Clemson
As a 5-star recruit out of high school in the powerhouse football region of the deep South, Booth had several schools to choose from for college.
Ultimately, he chose to join the defending NCAA Champion Clemson Tigers, coached by Dabo Swinney. The 2019 team featured several future NFL draft picks like QB Trevor Lawrence, RB Travis Etienne, WR Tee Higgins, LB Isaiah Simmons, and CB AJ Terrell.
As a first-year student, Booth played sparingly. He appeared in 13 games but totaled just four tackles for the season. In his sophomore campaign, he recorded 27 tackles and two interceptions after starting four games and appearing in 11.
His junior year was the breakout season that had some scouts projecting him as a 1st round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. He earned 1st team All-ACC honors and was a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award.
Booth declared for the NFL Draft after his junior year, and after being projected as a 1st round pick by many draft analysts, he fell into the 2nd round to the Minnesota Vikings.
A Rocky NFL Start
There were high expectations for Andrew Booth after being drafted with the 42nd overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. New GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah attempted to rebuild an aging secondary by drafting three defensive backs in the first five picks.
Only their 1st round pick, S Lewis Cine, has developed into a contributing factor in the defense. That same offseason, the Vikings signed veteran CB Patrick Peterson to a one year deal to help mentor the young defensive backs.
Booth, perhaps more because of draft status than actual development, was forced into action halfway through his rookie season. He was inactive for four of the first 10 games of the season, and didn’t see a defensive snap until week 9.
He did not fare well in weeks 9 and 10 versus two of the most explosive offenses in the NFL: the Buffalo Bills and the Dallas Cowboys.
Against the Bills, Booth allowed the Buffalo wide receivers, led by Stefon Diggs, to catch three of the four passes in his direction for 38 yards, a 75% completion rate.
The following week did not get any easier when Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb visited Minnesota in a 40-3 thrashing. Booth, in coverage on Lamb most of the evening, allowed eight completions on nine targets for 91 yards.
Booth appeared to tweak his knee during the game, and ended up having season-ending surgery just two days later.
Recovering from knee surgery in 2023 and playing in all 17 games, Booth somehow managed to play fewer defensive snaps than in his rookie year. He could not get on the field ahead of free agent addition Byron Murphy, fellow second year player Akayleb Evans, and rookie Mekhi Blackmon.
Signs of Change
Booth’s lack of development prompted the Vikings to once again use early round draft picks on a defensive back in the 2024 NFL Draft. In the 4th round, they selected Khyree Jackson from the University of Oregon.
An unexpected tragedy took Jackson’s life before his NFL career could even begin, and trading Booth to Dallas for Nahshon Wright appeared to be strictly a personnel decision based on traits.
Andrew Booth stands just over six feet tall and comes in a few pounds under 200. Jackson stood nearly 6’4″ tall and had incredible length. Wright measures very similarly, and the Vikings hope that he can replace the traits they wanted with Jackson.
Where Does Booth Fit With the Cowboys?
Andrew Booth is not coming in to compete for a starting position. Should that happen by some miracle, it would be one of the greatest trades the Cowboys have ever made.
If Booth can crack into a rotation of Trevon Diggs, DaRon Bland, Jourdan Lewis, and a surprisingly talented rookie Caelen Carson, the Cowboys will have an embarrassment of riches at the cornerback position in 2024.
That is unlikely to happen, so the best we can hope for is that Booth can contribute to special teams, and maybe a year from now, can get back to the level of play that made him a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award in college.
Injury and lack of opportunity have overshadowed the talent we know is there. If anyone can bring that talent back to the surface, it’s Cowboys Assistant Head Coach and Defensive Passing Game Coordinator Al Harris.
Harris has already coached two All-Pros: Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland. Can he do the same with Andrew Booth? Cowboys Nation can hope for the best.