Vikings sign guard Joshua Gray, release veteran defensive tackle

Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Vikings sign guard Joshua Gray, release veteran defensive tackle

Originally posted on Bring Me The Sports | By Will Ragatz | Last updated Aug 19, 2026 11:41 AM ET

The Vikings have made another move towards the back end of their 90-man roster. They announced on Wednesday morning that they’ve signed guard Joshua Gray and released defensive tackle Eric Johnson II.

Gray, 26, was waived by the Carolina Panthers a couple days earlier, despite performing well in their most recent preseason game. In 24 snaps at right guard against the Bills this past Saturday, Gray earned a 77.8 PFF grade, with strong marks in both run blocking and pass protection. The Vikings clearly saw something in that tape that they liked.

Before signing a futures deal with the Panthers back in January, Gray joined the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent in 2025 and spent the regular season on their practice squad. He got a lot of work at left guard for Atlanta in last year’s preseason.

A California native, Gray spent six years at Oregon State (2019-2024). From 2020 to ’23, he served as the Beavers’ starting left tackle, with solid results (better in run blocking than pass pro). In 2024, as a sixth-year senior, he moved inside to left guard. Gray played over 3,800 offensive snaps in college.

Joshua GrayDarren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Listed at 6’5″, 299 pounds, Gray has good athleticism on the offensive line but is a bit slim and has very short arms (31′ 3/8″, even shorter than recent Vikings third-round pick Caleb Tiernan). Because of that, he was never going to play tackle in the NFL. Gray is listed as a guard and has only played there in preseason action, but some teams viewed him as a center coming out of college.

Gray figures to get a chance to play in the Vikings’ two final preseason games and potentially stick around on the practice squad as a depth option on the interior of the line.

Johnson, 28, signed with the Vikings in late April. A fifth-round pick out of Missouri State in 2022, he has appeared in 51 games with the Colts and Patriots over the last five seasons.

These are the Vikings’ latest roster moves: