The Dallas Cowboys' flawed roster-building strategy this past offseason clearly hasn't worked out as planned. Dallas' management opted to lightly spend and only add around the margins, instead of making significant investments at positions of need, and the team has paid the price.
One of those moves included trading for cornerback Andrew Booth, who'd fallen out of favor in Minnesota after being drafted No. 42 overall by the Vikings in 2022.
Unfortunately, a change in cities hasn't led to a change in play for the struggling CB. Booth has been a disappointment for a secondary in desperate need of a players to step up amid injuries -- but his tenure in Dallas hit an even steeper low on Sunday.
Andrew Booth might have a 0.0 PFF grade this week.
— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) December 29, 2024
All-time bad performance by a CB.
Pickett to DeVonta Smith!
— NFL (@NFL) December 29, 2024
📺: #DALvsPHI on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG pic.twitter.com/x0xHNHaNBv
The things the Eagles are doing to Andrew Booth is criminal lmao pic.twitter.com/2M7PgVft9P
— Billy M (@BillyM_91) December 29, 2024
Booth was absolutely abysmal in a featured role for the Cowboys against the Philadelphia Eagles. With DaRon Bland mostly focused on slowing down A.J. Brown, Philly picked on the lackluster corner in his matchup against WR DeVonta Smith.
The other top Eagles wideout responded by torching Booth several times, including a 22-yard score and a whopping 50-yard gain in the first half, then again for a 25-yard touchdown grab early in the fourth quarter.
📁 Things We Love To See
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) December 29, 2024
📁 Tanner McKee & DeVonta Smith
📁 Touchdown vs. the Cowboys (Kelly Green) pic.twitter.com/kG2zCubj17
Booth's dumpster fire of a performance has fans, expectedly, calling for him to be gone after the season ends. And the 24-year-old simply doesn't have a case to make the Cowboys decide anything else. The CB ranks a disastrous 201st out of 217 eligible cornerbacks in overall PFF grade this season, which is unacceptable for a player being asked to rise to the occasion with starters injured.
The former second-round pick has provided nothing to Mike Zimmer's defense that's difficult to replace, and there's an actual case he's hurting this unit more than he's helping.
Booth being absolutely lost in his third NFL season is unfortunate, but it's something the Cowboys can't look past. He's now taking away a roster spot and snaps from other young players who could develop into something if they were afforded the opportunity Booth has to begin his career.
Expect the ex-Clemson standout to be on his third team in two years once the 2025 offseason rolls around.
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