Even though the Detroit Lions made it an offseason priority to retain as many key contributors from a season ago as possible, the reality in the NFL dictates that there will be significant departures every year.
The Lions lost veteran starters in Carlton Davis and Kevin Zeitler, while Za'Darius Smith and Jalen Reeves-Maybin remain unsigned. While Lions fans will wish the best for their former players, not every former Lion who left in free agency will thrive on their new teams.
Former Lions CB Kindle Vildor Facing an Uphill Battle on New Team
One veteran who left Detroit this spring and may struggle next season is Kindle Vildor. The 27-year-old cornerback signed a one-year deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in free agency. After playing extended snaps for the Lions amid the injury crisis last season, Vildor might find it hard to earn as much playing time in Tampa as he did in Detroit.
The Bucs were specifically looking for ballhawks this offseason after the team had only seven interceptions in 2024. They made it a top priority to upgrade their secondary this offseason. After signing Vildor in free agency, they continued to add more talent to the defensive backfield through the draft. They used their second-round pick on Notre Dame CB Benjamin Morrison, then doubled down in Round 3 by picking Kansas State CB Jacob Parrish.
This makes for a stacked cornerback room in Tampa. Jamel Dean and Zyon McCollum are the projected starters, while Tykee Smith will almost certainly get the nod at nickelback. The two rookies, Morrison and Parrish, will be ahead of Vildor in the pecking order.
In order to carve out a role for himself over the likes of Josh Hayes and Tyrek Funderburk, the former Lion has to impress during the OTAs and training camp. Only then can Vildor have a role on this team as a depth CB option.
Considering how poorly he played in his Lions stint last year, ranking as the 113th-best cornerback in the league out of 116 eligible players per Pro Football Focus, Vildor has a ton of work to do.