Andrew Booth Gets One More Shot to Save His Career
The Minnesota Vikings’ 2022 draft class has aged poorly, with several early picks failing to develop as hoped. One of those players was cornerback Andrew Booth out of Clemson. Now 25, Booth is looking for a career reset after being selected in the UFL Draft.
Booth was selected by the Louisville Kings in the UFL Draft. One can find several former Vikings on Louisville’s roster, including tight end Irv Smith and Cam Dantzler.
The step back from the NFL to the UFL makes sense for players who struggle to find work in the big league and need to showcase their talents in the spring league. Booth is a prime candidate, as he was released by the Dallas Cowboys in August and hasn’t been on a team since.
For cornerbacks in particular, the UFL can provide valuable live reps that simply can’t be replicated through workouts or practice squads. Teams evaluating defensive backs often prioritize game tape over athletic testing, especially when a player’s confidence and timing have been disrupted by injuries or inconsistent usage. A strong spring showing could quickly put Booth back on NFL radars.
Initially, Booth was a second-rounder for the Vikings, but he was widely regarded as a first-round talent that year. He had struggled with injuries throughout his college career, but the five-star recruit was productive at Clemson.
That injury trend continued with the Vikings, missing a significant part of his rookie season. Offseason core muscle surgery was followed by a quad injury and a knee injury, which ultimately cost him the remainder of his rookie campaign on IR.
In that 2022 season, Booth appeared in only six games (one start), and he logged 12 tackles. Given the poor CB play the Vikings had to endure that year, his injury-riddled season as a backup was highly disappointing.
After that season, the Vikings fired defensive coordinator Ed Donatell nine months after drafting Booth for his system. Brian Flores joined the club and new coaches often ignore the draft pedigree. That, along with a new scheme, was the end of Booth’s tenure with the Vikings.
Booth only played 151 snaps in his second season, but at least he was healthy enough to appear in all 17 games. He made eight tackles and was shipped to Dallas in the 2024 offseason. The Vikings swapped him for Cowboys draft bust Nahshon Wright, who the Vikings then also didn’t want, but has revived his career with the Chicago Bears in 2025.
New Cowboys defender Booth played in seven games for defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer in 2024. His limited play left a lot to be desired. The new coaching staff in 2025 said goodbye after the preseason and Booth had been looking for work since then, until the UFL called.
Booth likely hopes for a career arc comparable to Jalen Redmond’s. He flashed enough in the UFL for the Vikings to sign him, then he broke out as a rotational defensive lineman in 2024 and further elevated his play to a superstar level in the 2025 season.
The once promising corner turned 25 last September.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.