5 Redskins in danger of not making the regular season roster

1. LB Zach Vigil

I am a fan of Vigil, but there is simply a numbers crunch on the roster at the moment. The team seems likely to keep five linebackers, and Vigil is battling Martrell Spaight for the final role. While I have vocally stated that I would prefer Vigil in the past, I think that Spaight will serve the fifth linebacker role better at this point in time.

Vigil is a better all-around player than Spaight, as he’s solid in run support and has decent coverage skills. However, Spaight is a top caliber run stuffer with very good special teams ability. He is frequently lost in coverage, but as a depth piece, he won’t be asked to play in obvious passing situations. As a result of this, it seems that Spaight could earn the nod as a back-end roster player.

In the unlikely event that the Redskins keep both players, one would have to be inactive on game days and as it stands, Vigil would be that guy. There’s no question that he could be a solid reserve linebacker in the NFL, but he’s been leapfrogged by other quality, young players like Shaun DIon Hamilton and Josh Harvey-Clemons. Because of this, he seems most likely to be cut before the start of the season.

Perhaps Vigil will be able to change this with a solid showing in the final preseason game. But as it stands, he seems more likely to miss the final 53 than to be on it.