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Zach Vigil needs to continue to show growth to make the 53-man roster

By Jacob Camenker

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - DECEMBER 31: Zach Vigil #56 of the Washington Redskins breaks up a pass intended for Marquis Bundy #86 of the New York Giants during the second half at MetLife Stadium on December 31, 2017 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Giants defeated the Redskins 18-10. (Photo by Ed Mulholland/Getty Images)
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - DECEMBER 31: Zach Vigil #56 of the Washington Redskins breaks up a pass intended for Marquis Bundy #86 of the New York Giants during the second half at MetLife Stadium on December 31, 2017 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Giants defeated the Redskins 18-10. (Photo by Ed Mulholland/Getty Images) /
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Zach Vigil was one of the surprises of the end of the Redskins season. That said, he’s not a roster lock for the 2018 season.

When the Washington Redskins suffered many injuries to their linebacker corps last season, the team brought in some familiar faces to play roles. Among those replacement players was Zach Vigil. The former Miami Dolphin had been with the Redskins during the 2016 season for a couple of games, but he didn’t do much. Still, this familiarity scored him a chance to play late in the season. And in the opportunities he was granted, he shined.

Vigil started six games down the stretch for the Redskins and he was incredible. Considering that he hadn’t been with the team since the start of the season, Vigil played very well and was a great tackler. He totaled 55 stops in the seven games he played, which was far and away the best numbers of his NFL career. He also was relatively successful in coverage and was a solid pairing with Zach Brown.

Coming into the 2018 offseason, it was presumed that Vigil would be the primary backup to Brown and Mason Foster. After all, he had shown enough in six starts last year to earn that job. Or so was thought. Instead, it appears that Josh Harvey-Clemons may have the upper hand for that position right now. And that makes sense, given that the Redskins are looking to find a safety/linebacker hybrid to help in coverage against opposing tight ends.

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Because of that development, it seems that Vigil’s spot on the roster could be a bit less of a sure thing. He can play special teams and function as a starter if needed, but he will face some stiff competition. Rookie sixth-rounder Shaun Dion Hamilton has the upside and intelligence to eventually start. It seems that he is locked into the roster for that reason. That would make four roster locks excluding Vigil, and it seems probable that the Redskins will only keep five inside linebackers.

What this means is that Vigil will likely be fighting for a roster spot with Martrell Spaight. Spaight was a fifth round pick by the Redskins in 2015, but he hasn’t really lived up to that billing. On tape, Vigil is clearly better when starting, as he is a good downhill tackler. Spaight has too often looked lost in coverage when asked to start (see the 2016 game against the Carolina Panthers). And that’s an issue.

That said, Spaight (24) is a few years younger than Vigil (27), and he provides more value on special teams. If the Redskins decide that they would prefer to have a strong, athletic special teamer, Spaight will probably get the job.

What Vigil has to do to win the job is show that he can be a functional all-around starter for the team. He needs to show growth and give the coaching staff confidence that he can repeat his 2017 performance. If he can do that, then he should be trusted over Spaight, especially since Hamilton’s addition will add extra youth to the linebacker corps.

Next: Riggo's Rag Podcast - Secondary evaluation

This is going to be an interesting position battle to say the least. But for now, Vigil has the edge in my book. He has the talent needed to serve as a spot starter and should be able to beat out Spaight for the final spot.

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