In the coming months, the Washington Redskins will look to trim down their 90-man roster ahead of the impending regular season. Every year, we see a number of unheralded players find their way onto the final roster. Who could be this year’s unheralded surprise? In this segment, we’ll take a look at ILB Zach Vigil.
The Redskins have made quite a few changes to their defensive lineup thus far in the offseason. Relative to the other areas of the defense, the position of inside linebacker has largely been left alone. The team signed Pro Bowler Zach Brown, and acquired hybrid Josh Harvey-Clemons in the NFL Draft, but also sent Su’a Cravens to the secondary, removing a consistent contributor from 2016.
Right now, the lineup at inside linebacker appears to be Brown and Mason Foster as starters, followed by Will Compton and Martrell Spaight as backups. However, there are many players in line behind them, anxious for an opportunity to prove themselves.
One of those players is Zach Vigil. We haven’t heard much about Vigil, but by the end of the offseason, we could hear about him as one of the 53 players on the final roster.
Vigil came into the league in 2015 as an undrafted free agent out of Utah State. He saw significant action in his rookie year, playing in all sixteen games as a minor contributor.
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A jump was expected from Vigil in his second year, but he failed to impress. A combination of injuries and inconsistent play hindered his efforts to latch onto a roster spot, and on December 19th, 2016, he was waived by the Dolphins.
The Redskins took in Vigil a day later, compensating for the corresponding loss of special teamer Houston Bates to injury. He took Bates’ role as a special teams player for the remaining two games of the season, and ever since, he has been one of the many unheralded players on the roster, one of the many who could surprise.
Vigil will likely compete for a job as a reliable special teams player. He has two years of experience, and his 6-foot-2, 240 pound frame allows him to lock down returns. However, as we’ll see in the next slide, with further development, Vigil could develop into an even more essential contributor.
With Vigil, it’s not a matter of production. He produced at a massive scale in college, recording 13.5 sacks and almost 400 tackles in three years as a starter. With Vigil, the problem is processing.
While the numbers suggest a player sound in every aspect of the game, Vigil showed on many occasions in college that he may not be able to keep up at the next level. Here’s what NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein had to say about the All-WAC linebacker in his 2015 draft profile:
"His lack of run-game instincts will make it hard to overcome marginal speed when flowing to the sideline and he gets leveraged out of gap by linemen too easily. His production and ability in coverage should get him a look. Needs to shine on special teams to land a roster spot as a backup linebacker. Might be worth a look at the SAM ‘backer spot in a 4-3."
Vigil has an intriguing combination of size and speed. He ran in the 4.6’s at the NFL Combine, and he shown an ability to use his adequate size to wrap up opposing players. He’s an athletic specimen, and his effort and drive are not in question. His ability to keep up and impose himself at the line is, however. If he can’t improve in this regard, then he may find little work other than in special teams.
In order to make the final roster, Zach Vigil will have to impress a lot of people in the events leading up to the regular season.
Vigil possess physical traits that undoubtedly intrigue the Redskins’ staff. But his inability to defend against the run limits his potential as a 3-4 inside linebacker. Although the Redskins flex from their base defense often, it’s unclear how Vigil could fit in the schemes they run, given his poorly-rounded play.
Realistically, Vigil likely won’t make the roster unless the Redskins value him as a special teams contributor. He’s shown an ability to perform in that part of the game before, and that’s where he’ll get an extended look. The competition at inside linebacker may be too much for him.
However, due to his size and speed, Vigil could warrant a look as an edge rusher. His effort and drive never faltered at the collegiate level, and even the NFL, he’s shown tenacious ability as a quick hitter. If he can learn to use his hands more efficiently at the line of scrimmage, his physical traits could allow him to slide past blockers better than most.
Next: Breaking Down the Redskins Running Backs on the Bubble
Vigil is still young, and he has plenty of potential. He has been an unheralded player thus far in his career. But unheralded players have a way of bursting onto the scene. Could Vigil be the next to do so? We’ll know soon enough.