Vikings LB Nick Vigil has officially signed his contract. Now that Vigil is a member of Minnesota, fans and analysts alike can predict how he will slot in to this defense.
It would be surprising for anyone to presume Vigil will be anything more than a linebacker three in 2021. That’s because the Vikings defense has two solidified players at his position: Eric Kendricks and Anthony Barr.
Vigil talked about those two in a press conference recently:
“They’re two guys who have played in this system for a long time,” Vigil said, per the Vikings Twitter account. “When I was with the Bengals … we would watch a lot of Vikings film, just comparing in the offseason and stuff like that. I’ve seen a little bit of what they do. Obviously, they’re two really good players who are really talented and have been good for a long time, so just to be able to play with two guys like that, I’m very excited about [it].”
Due to how much nickel the Vikings defense has liked to play in the past, I wouldn’t expect Vigil to play the majority of defensive snaps, unless Kendricks or Barr get injured. But he is a good depth option at linebacker, a position that Minnesota struggled with when it came to health last season.