Now that Martrell Spaight's window of opportunity is in front of him, the second-year linebacker is looking to take advantage of all the reps that he can get during training camp.
Martrell Spaight is ready for his comeback to be his coming out part in the NFL.
But that never happened in his rookie season, appearing in just one game before a concussion sidelined him for the entire year.
Back again with a full bill of health, Spaight could see quite a bit of action this year alongside the likes of veterans Will Compton, Mason Foster and Perry Riley Jr.
"They say once you know your stuff you can play faster and quicker and I'm definitely seeing the effects of that," Spaight said. "I'm seeing things a little bit better than I was last year, a little bit more composed, not going out there anxious, definitely starting out on a good note."
The fifth-round selection in 2015 believes he has also prepared himself physically, so he can endure a full-length NFL schedule that lies ahead of him.
"Most of what I did during the offseason was just bulking," Spaight relayed to Redskins.com "A lot of the time I used to work out and train, not to bulk up but just to stay in shape. Now I've been focusing on bulking. After playing a few preseason games last year I understood that I needed to bulk my body up some, so that's been my main emphasis, bulking and working on my main breaks in pass coverage skills, and just using my hands to get off of offensive linemen. So that's been my key emphasis, physically, during the offseason."
In his return, Spaight says that veteran inside linebackers coach Kirk Olivadotti has been "huge" in his development despite having yet to ever play a regular season defensive snap.
Check out these photos of Arkansas linebacker Martrell Spaight, the 141st-overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft.
"He's really done a great job of breaking everything down to a 'T' to all the linebackers," Spaight said. "He knows us inside and out so he knows how to coach us up on certain things that way we're able to learn, so he's been doing a great job of getting us all prepared to go out there and make plays."
Spaight, whose hard-hitting blows were known as "Spaighting" at Arkansas, has yet to take someone to the ground since his injury.
He can't wait to do it again soon, though.
"I am getting anxious every moment I think about it," Spaight said. "My main thing is to keep getting better every day so once the game comes around I have no doubt in my mind that I know what I'm doing, and I can go out there and maybe 'Spaight' a few people. Right now, I'm just trying to get better every day and prepare for the first game."
