Vikings Sign Running Back Kevin Monangai

On Thursday, the Minnesota Vikings once again increased their roster to the NFL limit of 90 players, signing running back Kevin Monangai to a contract.

Monangai went undrafted out of Villanova in the 2015 NFL Draft, and was later signed by the Philadelphia Eagles. He was part of the Eagles’ final cuts in Training Camp that year, but was later re-signed to the practice squad. He actually had three separate stints on the Philadelphia practice squad, and was released for the third time by the Eagles in May.

In his career at Villanova, Monangai rushed for 3,617 yards and found the end zone 29 times. That’s the second-highest yardage total in Wildcats history, behind only former Philadelphia Eagles star Brian Westbrook.

The odds of Monangai sticking with the Vikings’ final roster don’t appear to be very good, with Adrian Peterson, Jerick McKinnon, and Matt Asiata (among others) ahead of him. But with Peterson and McKinnon having been sidelined with injuries during the early parts of Training Camp, and Peterson likely not getting any work in preseason games anyway, the Vikings needed another back to shoulder the load in preseason contests. Perhaps Monangai will make enough of an impression for the Vikings to keep the 5’8”, 210-pounder on the practice squad after the final cutdowns.

Here are some highlights of Monangai from his time at Villanova for your viewing pleasure.