Feb 28

PHI4
PIT5
Final
BOS4
PHI2
In Progress

Mar 1

PHI0-0
DET0-0
@6:05 PM UTC

Mar 2

PHI26-26-8
WPG42-15-3
NBCSP @12:00 AM UTC
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PHI0-0
NBCSP @6:05 PM UTC
GSW32-27
PHI20-38
ABC @1:30 AM UTC
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Mar 4

POR26-33
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The 53rd man: Eagles impressed by Josh Andrews' development

The most surprising name on the Eagles’ final 53-man roster is Josh Andrews.

Another offensive lineman named Andrews?

No worries. This one is no relation to Shawn and Stacy.

Josh Andrews, a former undrafted free agent out of Oregon State, made the Eagles as a backup guard and center, one of seven players on the roster that’s never played an NFL snap.

Overall, this isn’t the most experienced offensive line outside of Jason Peters and Jason Kelce.

Left guard Allen Barbre and right guard Andrew Gardner each have eight career starts; backup center David Molk has four career starts; backup tackles Matt Tobin and Dennis Kelly have seven and 13 career starts, respectively.

Third-year pro Lane Johnson, with 28 starts, is actually the third-most experienced lineman in the group.

And then there’s Andrews.

Andrews outplayed former third-round pick John Moffitt to earn a roster spot with the Eagles as a backup interior lineman. When camp began, Moffitt was considered by many a favorite to beat out Gardner for a starting job. By the time camp was over, Andrews beat out Moffitt for a roster spot.

“Center-guard versatility,” Chip Kelly said of Andrews. “Really explosive, big, stout player that can play multiple positions. He’s a smart guy. He really did a good job in terms of us developing him last year as a practice squad player. He has been with us going into his second year and has really come along.

“He’s got the size. Sometimes guys don’t have the size to bump out to guard, but Josh has the size to bump out to guard. We really like his athleticism and we really think he’s grown going into his second year here.”

This is what the practice squad is all about. It's like a red-shirt year. Learn the system, learn to be a pro, show the coaches they can rely on you.

And then when you get your chance, take advantage.

All for the sum of $6,300 per week. Good money but a fraction of what your teammates are earning.

Andrews was a three-year starter at Oregon State who studied sociology in college and planned a career as a parole officer if football didn’t work out.

So far, it’s working out.

“Josh has really developed and I know that Stout (offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland) is really excited about him,” Kelly said. “Josh is a two-position player, can be a center, can be a guard, can excel at both.

“We were excited about what year two would be like, and he earned it. He earned himself a spot on the 53-man roster.”

Moffitt turned out to be something of a disappointment, although he did come to the Eagles late in the preseason and had sat out all of last season.

The rust was apparent, and he was never able to catch up.

“I don’t think it was anything that John did, I just think it was what Josh did,” Kelly said. “Josh played really well for us and has position versatility, which you need in a backup player.”

One guy who is in the same position this year as Andrews was last year is Malcolm Bunche, the enormous guard from UCLA. Bunche, whose dad was once an Eagles draft pick, was one of Kelly’s final cuts on Saturday and wound up on the practice squad along with guard Brett Boyko, an undrafted rookie from UNLV.

Kelly said Bunche, who stands 6-foot-6, 320 pounds, was close to making the final roster.

“Malcolm was a real tough decision but I think we have some depth on the offensive line so we knew that,” he said.

Another tough call was interior lineman Julian Vandervelde, the Eagles’ fifth-round pick back in 2011. Vandervelde was also among final cuts on Saturday.

“Julian Vandervelde was another guy that’s been here,” Kelly said. “He was a draft pick on this team and had been here for a long time and has played for us.

“In every situation, it’s a tough decision because you know how much those guys have put into it and it’s hard to tell them at this point in time that you’re not going to make the 53.”

Peters, Kelce and Dennis Kelly give the Eagles three Andy Reid holdovers on the offensive line, and Kelly might be the most surprising of the 12 former Reid players still around.

He was a fifth-round pick in 2012, started 10 games at right tackle during that lost 2012 season, had back surgery in 2013 and started three games last year during the rash of injuries that struck the O-line.

In Molk and Andrews, the Eagles have two guys that can play all three interior O-line positions, and in Tobin and Kelly they have two guys who can play either guard or tackle.

Dennis Kelly knows if he hadn’t shown the ability to play both guard and tackle he wouldn’t be here.

“I think I’ve shown my versatility,” he said. “It took me a long time to get back to where I was after my back surgery. I took me a while to get the cobwebs out, but I think last year I showed that I can play guard and I can play tackle.

“They always talk about the more you can do, the more valuable you are, and I think I’ve shown them I can play all four (other than center) and if I need to go in there, I can play at a pretty high level.”

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