The Andrew Booth Jr. Trade Picks Up an Extra Detail
The best trades are the ones where both parties step away happy. What about the times when neither side is happy?
Before the season began, the Vikings finally pulled the plug on Andrew Booth Jr. in Minnesota by trading him to Dallas for Nahshon Wright (read more). There was hope that Booth could develop into a CB1 when initially drafted but injury and poor performance (which is to nothing of changing defensive coordinators) doomed that possibility. How is that trade looking now that we’re in the final stretch of the season?
The Andrew Booth Jr. Trade
Fans will be forgiven if they forgot about there being a return on the Booth trade. After all, Wright has been on the practice squad all season.
In Week 13, though, Minnesota made an unexpected move: Nahshon Wright was elevated for the game day roster. At long last, the 6’4″ corner would get a chance to be active for a game with the Vikings. He didn’t pickup any work on defense but he did snag 15 snaps on special teams.
Now, consider some of the broader context.
A couple of weeks ago, the Vikings said goodbye to Akayleb Evans. Doing so was yet another hit to the 2022 draft class, a group of ten players that has now shrunk down to four on the active roster and one on the practice squad. The end result was one less corner in Minnesota.
And then in the Cardinals game Stephon Gilmore had to step away due to a hamstring issue. Fabian Moreau was leaned on to function as the CB3, doing both good and bad things. He picked up a pair of PI penalties — one was pretty questionable — and allowed a touchdown. Not a perfect performance but he was generally in good position.
There’s a chance that Dwight McGlothern gets an opportunity to pickup work. Kevin O’Connell discussed the corner on Monday, noting that “Nudie” — as he’s affectionately known — is someone who inspires confidence in the coaching staff.
The fascinating detail, though, is simply that Wright got his opportunity to dress prior to the Gilmore injury. Minnesota wanted another corner in Week 13 and they bypassed McGlothern, elevating Wright from the practice squad.
The corner is 26 and has played in 33 NFL games, offering a nice balance of youth and experience. There’s then his status as a 6’4″ corner who weighs 200 pounds. Defensive coordinators will like that kind of size, especially along the outside. Any chance he has been showing enough improvement in practice to keep earning playing time? If so, then the Andrew Booth trade gets a bit more fascinating. All of the sudden, there could be a player who can help the team.
Nahshon Wright has never been a dominant corner, at least not per the assessment on PFF. Keep in mind, though, that his opportunity to get onto the field has been relatively scarce after being snagged in the 3rd Round of the 2021 NFL Draft. He only has 269 defensive snaps in his career but he has picked up 626 snaps on specials.
Free agency is looming for Wright, so he should be plenty motivated to put good reps on film with whatever opportunity he gets with the Vikings. Given the aforementioned waiver of Evans and the injury to Gilmore, Wright could even end up being the CB4/5 in the coming week(s). Maybe he does something positive, thus making the Andrew Booth swap look a bit more promising several months after it occurred.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference, PFF, and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter, as a co-host for Notes from the North, and as the proprietor at The Vikings Gazette, a humble Vikings Substack.
