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If the Cincinnati Bengals want to get Nick Vigil back in free agency after the market opens, they may have to contend with former defensive coordinator Paul Guenther.
Guenther, currently holding the same position with the Las Vegas Raiders, gambled on Vontaze Burfict last offseason after the Bengals cut him.
Adam Caplan of SiriusXM NFL Radio reported Vigil could be a possible Raiders target, which isn’t too hard to see.
Guenther helped bring Vigil into the league while coaching in Cincinnati as a coordinator from 2014-2017. Given that they gambled on Burfict at all, those Raiders obviously have a massive need at linebacker so it would make sense to bring aboard a veteran like Vigil who already knows the ins and outs of the system.
Whether the Bengals want Vigil back is up for discussion as they remake the entire core around Germaine Pratt. His play improved late in the season after the team cut Preston Brown (a guy Guenther also kicked the tires on), but it might’ve been a case of too little, too late. Vigil, going on 27 years old, graded at 54.5 at Pro Football Focus and let up 38 completions on 56 targets last year.
The Bengals figure to hit linebacker multiple times this offseason, though the consensus seems to be they’ll bring on outside guys through free agency and/or the draft.
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