Vikings Reunite with Former Starter
The Minnesota Vikings are mostly done with their 53-man roster after releasing 36 players over three days. A few tweaks could still happen as things in the NFL are always moving. In the meantime, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is forming a 16-player practice squad. Most of the significant players he released were added to that group.
Vikings Reunite with Former Starter
One former Viking who returns to the organization is among the practice squad players. Linebacker Nick Vigil, a veteran in the league and a former starter on Mike Zimmer’s defense, signed with the Vikings, according to Tom Pelissero on X.
Vigil, now 30 years old, was a member of the Vikings in 2021, the final year of Zimmer’s tenure. He took over as the team’s third linebacker and played next to Eric Kendricks and Anthony Barr. Once Barr had to miss time with an injury, his snap count increased. Throughout the season, Vigil logged 719 defensive snaps and 198 on special teams throughout 16 games. He also started 12 contests, recording 85 tackles, 1 sack, and 1 interception against Kyler Murray.
The Utah State product was a third-round pick of the Cincinnati Bengals in 2016. Following a role as a rotational piece and special teamer in his rookie season, Vigil became a starter in Cincinnati’s defense, starting 37 games between 2017 and 2019. He moved on to the Los Angeles Chargers in 2020, once again as a rotational guy, and joined the Vikings after one year.
After departing from the Vikings in 2022, he joined the Arizona Cardinals and played four games with his new team but had to be placed on IR because of a hamstring injury that ended his season. He signed with the Jets in August but failed to make the team.
Vigil is the only linebacker on the practice squad and should be considered a potential depth piece in case of an injury to the four players on the roster. The Vikings employ starters Brian Asamoah and Jordan Hicks, while undrafted rookie Ivan Pace made a lot of noise in training camp and the preseason. He surely earned a role, and the trio is expected to split the reps. Troy Dye is the fourth linebacker on the team.
The veteran linebacker is not someone a team wants to start games in 2023, but he is a fine backup and emergency player. He has gained a lot of experience over the years, playing in 89 games with 53 starts. In those games, he racked up 443 tackles, 5 sacks, and 3 interceptions on over 3,600 defensive snaps and roughly 1,000 more on special teams.
Some other notable players on the practice squad are Luiji Vilain and DeWayne McBride. Surprisingly, Vilain didn’t make the team after a strong preseason, but the Vikings managed to add him to the practice squad once he cleared waivers. Running back McBride is the only rookie of Adofo-Mensah’s second draft class not on the 53-man roster, but he remains with the organization.
Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and Classic rock is his music genre of choice. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt
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