Vikings Sign Ex-Chargers, Bengals Linebacker Nick Vigil For Veteran Depth
With Eric Wilson expected to head elsewhere in free agency, the Vikings have signed veteran linebacker Nick Vigil to a one-year deal. The former Bengals and Dolphins LB will compete to take Wilson's old role while also likely contributing on special teams.
The deal comes with a $1 million base salary, a $450,000 signing bonus, and incentives that could make it worth up to $2.25 million. Vigil gets $1.35 million guaranteed and has a cap hit of $1.75 million. That seems like good value for an experienced linebacker who can help in multiple areas.
Vigil began his career with the Bengals in 2016 after being selected in the third round out of Utah State. His defensive coordinator for his first two seasons in Cincinnati was Paul Guenther, who joined the Vikings this offseason as a senior defensive assistant. After four years with the Bengals, Vigil spent last season with the Chargers in a rotational role.
At 6'2", 235, Vigil is better in coverage than he is in run defense. That's fine, given that the Vikings have Eric Kendricks and Anthony Barr to make plays against the run behind their new massive defensive tackle duo of Michael Pierce and Dalvin Tomlinson. Vigil's quickness and agility are assets in space; his three-cone drill and short shuttle at the 2016 combine are both in at least the 95th percentile among linebackers. Vigil had a good season as a tackler in LA last year after struggling in that area with the Bengals.
Vigil played mostly on special teams as a rookie before earning a starting job in 2017. He recorded five pass breakups, a sack, and an interception in 11 games that season but had a PFF grade just above 50. Vigil started 10 more games the following year and all 16 games in 2019. In his final season with the Bengals, he recorded 111 tackles but was credited with 19 missed tackles. However, he allowed just an 86.5 passer rating on targets against his coverage, adding five pass breakups and his second career INT. Vigil played just over 300 defensive snaps last year, his fewest since he was a rookie.
In five NFL seasons, the 27-year-old Vigil has played in 69 games (starting 39) with 15 tackles for loss, four sacks, two picks, two forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries, and 15 passes defended.
This is a solid low-cost move for the Vikings to add a veteran linebacker who is familiar with what Guenther and Mike Zimmer want to do on defense (Zimmer was Guenther's predecessor as Bengals DC). Vigil can compete with 2020 fourth-round pick Troy Dye and others — perhaps including a rookie — for the No. 3 linebacker role, and can also see the field on several special teams units.
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