The Cowboys and Vikings are making a trade involving two former Day 2 cornerback draftees. Minnesota is sending Andrew Booth to Dallas in exchange for Nahshon Wright, per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, Tom Pelissero and Mike Garafolo.
Two years remain on Booth’s rookie contract; Wright is going into a walk year. The Vikings drafted Booth in the 2022 second round, while the Cowboys used a 2021 third on Wright. While Booth comes from Minnesota, he was not on the roster during Mike Zimmer‘s HC stay.
Although the Vikings drafted Booth months after firing Zimmer, it is quite possible — as scouting staffs regularly remain in place through the following draft — the veteran defensive coach was high on the Clemson product ahead of the ’22 draft. Booth has been unable to establish himself as a Vikings regular under Ed Donatell or Brian Flores; he will now be given a second opportunity to prove himself.
Chosen 42nd overall, Booth has made just two starts and logged a total of 256 defensive snaps as a pro. He had not factored into Minnesota’s CB plans prominently during camp, per ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert. The pick goes down as a miss by GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, whose first two picks — DBs Booth and first-rounder Lewis Cine — have not helped the Vikes much. But Minnesota will attempt to see if Wright can make a difference. Cine is already on Minnesota’s roster bubble.
Wright, 25, has also played sparingly during his early NFL career. Though, the 6-foot-4 cover man evidently did enough to warrant a straight-up swap for a player chosen more than 50 spots before him (albeit in a different draft). The Vikings taking a flier on a player with one less year of control is interesting as well.
Only seeing 50 defensive snaps last season — for a Cowboys team that lost Trevon Diggs to a torn ACL last September — Wright has three career starts on his resume. The Cowboys changing DCs this offseason, losing Dan Quinn to Washington and hiring Zimmer, undoubtedly affected the fourth-year CB’s standing. Wright, however, maxed out at 128 defensive snaps in a season in Dallas (2022).
Booth, 23, exited Clemson as a first-round-level prospect; the Vikings traded up for him. Booth underwent sports hernia surgery before the draft, and while the former ACC standout returned in time for Week 1, he then suited up for just six Vikings games as a rookie. A season-ending knee injury altered his developmental arc, and he will join a Cowboys team with a cemented top three.
Diggs, DaRon Bland and Jourdan Lewis are in place as Dallas’ primary CBs, though The Athletic’s Jon Machota and Saad Yousef note Wright did mix in with Dallas’ first-team defense on the boundary opposite Bland during a Thursday joint practice with the Rams. Diggs is still working his way back from the knee injury. The team, which also completed a CB-for-CB trade last year (Kelvin Joseph for Noah Igbinoghene), also roster 2023 draftee Eric Scott Jr. and 2024 fifth-rounder Caelen Carson.
Wright heads to a Vikings team less solidified at corner. Minnesota has Byron Murphy going into the second season of a two-year contract, and Josh Metellus remains in the slot. But the team has seen its CB situation change dramatically this summer. Fourth-round rookie Khyree Jackson died tragically in a car accident in July, and second-year contributor Mekhi Blackmon suffered a torn ACL early in training camp. The Vikes signed Shaquill Griffin earlier this year and added Fabian Moreau last week; they also used 2022 fourth-rounder Akayleb Evans over Booth last year.
Booth never seemed like a great fit for Flores. I always wondered if the Vikings and Bills should swap Booth and Elam, since Elam belongs in a more press heavy scheme and both guys have been so disappointing. Booth hasn’t even turned 24 yet, so he’s certainly worth a look. But also the guy just hasn’t played that much football, even in college. Still, Wright is just a special teams guy, and I doubt he’s ever much of a true contributor at corner.
Watch Nashon have a massive breakout now lol
I just don’t like player swaps where the fans have to wait more than a year to see the guys go head to head. I think GMs actively look for these type of trade partners to avoid a backlash and possible embarrassment.