Infamous Former Viking Tries Out for Eagles
After a recent stint with the XFL’s Arlington Renegades, former Minnesota Vikings offensive guard Dru Samia might return to the NFL.
Infamous Former Viking Tries Out for Eagles
Samia auditioned for the Philadelphia Eagles’ roster this week, hoping to parlay the tryout into a contract.
KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweeted Tuesday, “Eagles worked out Nick Gates (signed), Dru Samia.”
Vikings fans haven’t heard from or thought much about Samia in recent years, but once upon a time, he served as a longshot hope to fix the team’s offensive line woes. That never panned out — at all — but Samia stuck around the business for a while before landing in the XFL last year.
Here’s his resume to date:
- Minnesota Vikings (2019–2020)
- New York Jets (2021–2022)
- Arlington Renegades (2023–present)
Samia was part of a hypothetical RG solution in the 2020 season for the Vikings. He and former Viking Dakota Dozier were tapped for guard duty during the pandemic season, and the two dueled for a “who’s worse” designation. Samia’s Pro Football Focus grade in 2020 was a lowly 33.1 — with a ghastly 17.0 pass-blocking score. His pal Dozier notched a 44.6 grade from PFF in 2020.
Neither man played any offensive snaps for any team in 2021, the season after they left Minnesota.
The forecast for Samia wasn’t always bleak, though. Heading into the 2019 season — with vast rookie upside — he was considered “mean and nasty,” biding his time to terrorize defenders on the Vikings offensive line. But the mean and nasty quickly morphed into parking cone and not good for the Oklahoma alumnus.
Samia’s once-exciting trajectory was borne of his draft placement. The Vikings found him in Round 4 of the 2019 NFL Draft, a spot where NFL guards can blossom. And because the Vikings needed improved guard play, Samia was theorized as the fix.
In Philadelphia, Samia would battle these offensive guards for a roster spot if the audition netted a contract:
- Tyler Steen
- Landon Dickerson
- Trevor Keegan
- Matt Hennessy
- Max Scharping
- Jason Poe
The aforementioned Dozier last appeared in the NFL during the 2022 season, a member of the Chicago Bears roster for a single season.
In Minnesota, the Vikings have a three-way guard battle underway between Blake Brandel, Ed Ingram, and Dalton Risner to determine two starters’ jobs.
The Eagles’ offensive line ranked tops in the NFL last year, according to Pro Football Focus, and Nick Sirianni’s team will hope to remain the cream of the crop in 2024 after future Hall of Fame center Jason Kelce retired this offseason.
Samia will turn 27 in three weeks.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
You must be logged in to post a comment.