Vikings Rookie CB to Undergo Knee Surgery
Josh Frey
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The Minnesota Vikings got some more bad news on Monday regarding their 2022 NFL Draft class. Second-round pick Andrew Booth Jr. is going to need surgery to repair his injured knee. The injury kept him out of Week 12 against the Patriots forcing Duke Shelley into a starting spot for the first time in 2022.
Booth’s history of injuries adds more concern to this injury, especially if it is the same knee that he injured during his high school years. The Vikings rookie CB has essentially spent his entire football career dealing with some sort of injury, and there’s a possibility that this latest one could keep him out for the remainder of the season.
The injury was initially suffered against the Dallas Cowboys during his first career NFL start. It also came on the heels of a quad injury that had kept him out of four games from Weeks 2-5. The rookie made his first career defensive appearance in Week 10 against the Buffalo Bills, playing 37 snaps and recording three tackles. During his start against the Cowboys, he appeared in 68 defensive snaps and recorded nine tackles.
After Booth’s injury, this now means each of the top two Vikings picks in this spring’s draft are in danger of losing most of their rookie seasons. Minnesota’s first-round pick, Lewis Cine, is already out for the year after suffering a compound leg fracture in Week 4 against the Saints.
It also continues to shorten an already weakened Vikings secondary. Fellow rookie Akayleb Evans missed last week’s game with a concussion, and Cam Dantzler has been on IR since Week 10. Fortunately, Dantzler will be eligible to come off IR after this weekend’s game against the Jets, and Evans could be ready to make another start this week.
Regardless, if Booth were forced to miss the rest of this season, it would be another major blow to the Vikings rookie class. It’s a cause for concern moving forward, especially given that the Vikings won’t be entirely sure what they have with Booth when NFL Draft time rolls around again.
This year, though, the Vikings find themselves on the verge of a deep playoff run, which takes importance over the future. With that in mind, we’ll see how the Vikings can adapt in the immediate aftermath.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho with a bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing. He also earned minors in History, Human Biology, and Journalism. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys marathon training, playing video games, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. For more of his opinions, check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.