Vikings CB Akayleb Evans Ruled Out With Concussion, Replaced By Andrew Booth Jr.

Vikings rookie cornerback Akayleb Evans, making his first career start against the Bills today, was ruled out with a concussion early in the second half.

It's unclear exactly when the injury occurred. Evans was involved in a big hit late in the second quarter, sticking his head into Devin Singletary to force a huge fumble. However, he stayed in the game after that, getting beaten by Gabe Davis for a touchdown with less than a minute remaining in the half.

Shortly after the teams returned to the field, the Vikings announced that Evans had been ruled out.

Replacing Evans on the following defensive series was fellow rookie Andrew Booth Jr., a second-round pick out of Clemson in this year's draft. Booth, who has dealt with some injuries early in his rookie season, is seeing defensive snaps for the first time in his career.

The Vikings and new GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah selected Booth 42nd overall in this year's draft, then doubled up at cornerback and took Evans — a product of Tulsa and Missouri — in the fourth round. Evans wound up ahead of Booth on the depth chart due to health and production. He stepped in for Cameron Dantzler last week, playing 44 snaps and making numerous big plays, then added his first career forced fumble against the Bills.

Dantzler is on IR with an ankle injury, so he'll miss at least four games. It'll be interesting to see if Evans gets the start next week against the Cowboys if he clears concussion protocol. It could depend on how Booth plays in the second half of this Bills game.

The Vikings also have Kris Boyd and Duke Shelley on the active roster at cornerback, in addition to starters Patrick Peterson and Chandon Sullivan.

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