Minnesota Vikings add G/C Josh Andrews from Eagles practice squad
By Adam Carlson
The Minnesota Vikings continue to take a look at individuals from the Philadelphia Eagles, signing offensive lineman Josh Andrews from their practice squad.
Continuing their commitment to improving their offensive line, the Minnesota Vikings have announced a transaction to add an interior lineman to the mix as they head into the 2018 NFL season.
Josh Andrews was on the Eagles practice squad last season but will join former Philadelphia quarterbacks coach and current Vikings offensive coordinator John DeFilippo for training camp this offseason.
An undrafted free agent out of Oregon State in 2014, Josh Andrews has been a regular on the Eagles practice squad from 2014–2017 and ended the 2017 campaign on the roster of the Super Bowl champions.
Here is the official announcement made by the Minnesota Vikings Twitter account regarding the transaction:
We have signed G Josh Andrews (@JoshAndrews621).
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) February 12, 2018
📰: https://t.co/2Q43JenMKx pic.twitter.com/QqZrGRcE6K
To go along with the announcement from the Vikings, the agent of Josh Andrews discussed the transaction on his own personal Twitter account:
G/C Josh Andrews who just finished his 4th season w/the Philadelphia Eagles will be signing with the Minnesota Vikings... Lots of interest elsewhere, but opportunity was too good to pass up and he'll be joining my other clients Mike Remmers & Rashod Hill on Minnesota's line.
— Brett Tessler (@TesslerSports) February 12, 2018
The Daily Norseman brings up a great point that adding a player through a futures contract is a sly way to bring in a player from an opposing team’s practice squad without having to elevate them to the team’s main roster or pay them those the higher contract prices.
With the futures of Joe Berger and Nick Easton currently in question, bringing in a player who can play guard and center is a smart move, especially when that individual is familiar to the team’s new offensive coordinator.
Here is what Vikings.com had to say about the new offensive lineman:
"“He made his NFL debut with Philadelphia in 2015, appearing in 13 games and seeing action in three in 2016. The Oregon State alum started 32 games in his collegiate career, including a streak of 30 straight, and graduated with a degree in sociology.”"
Next: Vikings #1 special teams unit in 2017
Congratulations to Josh Andrews on landing an opportunity on the Minnesota Vikings for the 2018 NFL season as well as reuniting with a coach from this team in the previous team.