The Minnesota Vikings have already played one preseason game and will kick off two days of joint practices with the Baltimore Ravens on Wednesday.
One thing Kevin O'Connell is counting on being better, entering 2026, is the offensive line. On paper, it's arguably the most formidable o-line of KOC's head coaching tenure. With that being said, there are still some questions on the interior — specifically at center.
And that makes the MN Vikings' latest roster move — signing interior offensive lineman Joshua Gray — a bit more interesting. The 26-year-old Oregon State product worked exclusively as a guard in college, and has stuck there at the NFL level.
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However, Vikings beat writer Alec Lewis (The Athletic) made it pretty clear (tweet below) that Gray is being signed as a center/guard. He did not appear in a regular season NFL game last year, but has spent time with both the Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers .
The Vikings are signing C/G Joshua Gray, per sources. Adds more depth on the interior. Most recently been with the Panthers. Was on the Falcons' PS last year. Smaller frame but can really move off the ball.
— Alec Lewis (@alec_lewis) August 19, 2026
[Gray] started a school-record 56 career games — including 44 consecutive starts from 2020-23. As a redshirt senior in 2024, [he] played 916 snaps, more than anyone else on the Beavers roster… Gray, who was penalized just once, received a grade of 74.1 from analytics site Pro Football Focus for his 2024 campaign.
Of course, Blake Brandel remains the Vikings' unquestioned starting center, at least for now. But remember, he just started playing the position last year, after concussions derailed Ryan Kelly's first and only season in Minnesota and KOC had no other choice.
While he performed admirably, given the circumstances, Brandel's inexperience at center continues to crop up at training camp, where he and new QB1 Kyler Murray have had a lot of issues executing snaps out of the shotgun.
I wasn't at Vikings practice today, but this Blake Brandel snapping thing is starting to get concerning. The accuracy of his shotgun snaps has been an issue throughout camp. https://t.co/3WaPebTg6c
— Will Ragatz (@WillRagatz) August 17, 2026
Related: Vikings' Preseason Plan for Starters vs Ravens
Interestingly enough, Gray and Brandel played together at Oregon State in 2019. In order to make room for their new offensive lineman, the Vikings released defensive lineman Eric Johnson II.
The Vikings also used a seventh round pick on Cincinnati center Gavin Gerhardt in April, though we haven't heard much of him standing out at camp.
After joint practices the next couple days, Minnesota will host the Ravens on Saturday for their only home preseason game this year. We'll see if Joshua Gray gets any run then.
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