Questions Answered: Andrew Booth as a Starter, Ex-Vikings without Jobs, Udoh on Bubble
Dustin Baker
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The following questions are about current Minnesota Vikings topics, answered by PurplePTSD. Today is the July 9th edition, addressed in a from-the-hip fashion. If you have questions, please email them to [email protected].
Also, please note: These are opinion-based responses. Some answers will be incorrect from time to time. But we’ll try to keep that to a minimum.
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Q: Are Cameron Dantzler and Patrick Peterson shoo-ins for starting jobs, or does Andrew Booth have a realistic chance to start in Week 1?
A: If you’re going to wager on it, Dantzler and Peterson are safer bets as the outside CBs.
Booth, who is recovering from an injury that dropped his draft stock to Round 2, has a slim chance to oust Dantzler or Peterson later this summer. But that theory would rely on Booth looking phenomenal right way — a relative longshot.
Like most rookies, Booth will need time to grow and probably won’t seize a starting job out of the gate. And that’s okay. The Vikings have Dantzler, Peterson, and Chandon Sullivan on the roster for a reason.
Q: Do you find it strange that Anthony Barr, Everson Griffen, Xavier Rhodes, Mackensie Alexander, etc., are without jobs this late in free agency?
A: For all those men to remain unsigned, yes, it is a little weird.
Barr, Griffen, and Rhodes especially were at the peak of their powers in 2017 and 2018, so it isn’t crazy that they’re “slowing down” five years later. However, between the three of them — particularly Barr — at least one should have found a new team by now.
Still, the summer isn’t over, injuries will beset teams at training camp or in the preseason, and some or all of those players will latch onto teams — if they don’t retire like Trae Waynes.
Q: Is Oli Udoh on the roster bubble at training camp?
A: Yes.
The Vikings attempted to make Udoh a guard in 2021. Udoh is a tackle. He responded by playing well early in the 2021 season but was ultimately plagued by too many penalties.
If Udoh makes the Vikings 53-man roster, it will be as a reservist offensive tackle behind Brian O’Neill and Christian Darrisaw. Minnesota already has a guard battle lined up between Jesse Davis, Ed Ingram, Chris Reed, and Wyatt Davis.
Udoh could be released if men like Vederian Lowe and Blake Brandel emerge.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
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