Commanders' rookie gets brutal reality check with rollercoaster preseason debut

Every NFL offseason, one of the most intriguing narratives to follow is seeing which undrafted free agents can end up playing their way into potentially making the 53-man roster.

For the Washington Commanders, one of the top names in that regard this summer has been cornerback Car'lin Vigers. The former Louisiana-Monroe standout has made waves throughout training camp and is believed to have a prime opportunity to be on the right side of the final cuts.

However, in the Commanders' preseason opener against the New England Patriots, Vigers didn't do a whole lot to help his case.

Car'lin Vigers' career gets off to a rocky start in Commanders' blowout loss

Vigers was far from alone in his struggles on Friday, as the virtual entirety of the Commanders' defense and special teams were a disaster in the 48-18 defeat. Where the rookie cornerback was concerned, his night was lowlighted by being the unfortunate victim of a filthy stiff arm by ex-Washington running back Antonio Gibson.

Welcome to the NFL, kid. It happens to the best of us.

But for a player in Vigers' position, it's much less than ideal. He knows his professional football career could very well hinge upon how he performs this preseason, as there's no guarantee of a second chance if he doesn't make the Commanders' roster. He'll want to put this one behind him quickly.

The rest of Vigers' night wasn't much better. He gave up a 33-yard pass to New England's Jeremiah Webb late in the third quarter, and overall seemed to look timid around opposing ball carriers. That's never a good sign for a player trying to make a positive impression on his coaching staff.

If there was any saving grace for Vigers, it's that Noah Igbinoghene had his struggles as well. The fact that the former first-round pick was playing deep into the second half doesn't bode well for the security of his roster spot, and it was his missed tackle on Efton Chism that allowed the Patriots to go ahead 34-11 in the middle of the third quarter.

Washington can be expected to roster at least five, if not six, cornerbacks. Marshon Lattimore, Mike Sainristil, Trey Amos, and Jonathan Jones are all locks. Igbinoghene is likely the fifth, and it's anybody's guess behind him.

The opportunity is still there for Vigers to step up throughout the remainder of the preseason, but he'll need to turn it around in a hurry.