Giants sign Shawn Andrews

The Big Kid is back.

The Giants announced today that they have signed former Eagles offensive lineman Shawn Andrews.

The Birds cut ties with Andrews back in March after he struggled to rehab from back injuries and battled depression. He has not played in an NFL game since 2008, when he was sidelined in the second game of the season.

Between 2005 and 2007, Andrews started 47 of 48 games, earning a pair of Pro Bowl berths and All-Pro honors in 2006. The Eagles drafted him with the 16th overall pick in the 2004 draft out of Arkansas.

When he was released, Andrews maintained that he had a future in the NFL. He had nothing but positive things to say about Andy Reid and the Eagles organization, explaining that he understood their decision and apologizing to the fans.

"You guys'll see me somewhere hopefully in somebody's jersey in Hawaii and wherever the Super Bowl is," Andrews said at the time.

The Giants announced the move via the team's Twitter account. Andrews signed the deal at 1:45 a.m.

"Our personnel staff has been monitoring Shawn's progress for a while now," GM Jerry Reese said in the release, per Mike Garafolo of The Newark Star-Ledger. "He looks great and had a very good workout for us yesterday. He can play both guard and both tackle positions. We just have to take him slow for the rest of the preseason to get him into game shape. Shawn is very excited and grateful for this opportunity to play for the New York Giants."

Back in June, Andrews was drafted in the third round of the UFL draft by the Omaha Nighthawks, but he obviously elected not to go that route.

The Eagles do not face the Giants until Week 11 this season. The Birds are counting on Shawn's brother, Stacy, to start at right guard.

Earlier today, I posted on Eagles players that have something to gain against the Bengals.

You can follow Moving the Chains on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook.

And download the 2010 MTC app from the ITunes store.