Mike Zimmer Is Done with an Ex-Viking
Mike Zimmer is a respected defensive coach in the NFL and led the Minnesota Vikings between his appointment in 2014 and his firing in January 2022. His tenure was overall solid, bringing a high floor to the Twin Cities. Besides his first season, his team never finished with fewer than seven wins. However, his club only won two playoff games: a miracle and an overtime win ‒ both over the hated Saints.
Mike Zimmer Is Done with an Ex-Viking
After a two-year break from the NFL, he returned to coaching, taking over the defensive coordinator position in Dallas. Previous DC Dan Quinn joined the Washington Commanders as the new head coach.
Zimmer oversaw some outstanding defenses over the years with the Vikings and in other past stints, and Dallas employs some phenomenal playmakers. So far, the Cowboys rank 26th in points allowed (despite having a bye week) and 16th in yards allowed.
A bunch of former Vikings joined Zimmer. One of them was 2022 second-rounder Andrew Booth, for whom the Cowboys traded in training camp. Booth and Zimmer didn’t cross ways in Minnesota. The cornerback stuck around in Dallas but was waived on Tuesday to make room for the new trade acquisition, Jonathan Mingo.
Ian Rapoport tweeted on Tuesday: “To make room for Jonathan Mingo, the Cowboys have released CB Andrew Booth.”
Booth was the second pick of Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s first draft class in charge of the Minnesota Vikings. Lewis Cine and Booth are both off the team by year three; Ed Ingram is starting at right guard but hasn’t lived up to the expectations of a second-round guard, and Brian Asamoah is a backup, just like Akayleb Evans.
The simple truth is the Vikings didn’t draft the right players. Booth was a highly-touted prospect, falling into round two because of an extensive injury history. Indeed, that list grew in Minnesota. He first missed the offseason programs because of a core injury, then suffered a hamstring injury in the preseason, and a knee injury ended his season prematurely.
Throughout his two campaigns in Minnesota, Booth appeared in 23 games (two starts) and logged only 256 defensive snaps. In Dallas, he played in three games and 38 defensive snaps, earning horrendous grades from Pro Football Focus.
Booth is looking for a new job, but there’s a chance the Cowboys want to keep him around and sign him to the practice squad. After two-and-a-half seasons in the NFL, it is fair to doubt that he can ever live up to his draft status.
The Vikings, meanwhile, moved on from Booth and mainly feature a veteran trio of Shaq Griffin, Stephon Gilmore, and Byron Murphy. Evans and Fabian Moreau are backups, just like rookie Dwight McGlothern.
Booth is still only 24 years old, but his time is running out.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference helped with this article.
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Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and prefers Classic rock over other genres. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt