It was certainly not the most eventful offseason for the Detroit Lions. GM Brad Holmes didn't make any big splashes in free agency or the trade market and chose to retain key contributors instead.
The reality in the NFL, however, is that there will be valuable free agents leaving the team every offseason. Some of these departed free agents will be missed by the fanbase. For the Lions, cornerback Carlton Davis and offensive lineman Kevin Zeitler fall under that category. Both starters have been playing at a high level in Detroit, but the Lions decided to let them walk because of age and money concerns.
Not every former Lion will be missed, however. Few Lions who had to step into larger roles last season amid all the unfortunate injuries struggled immensely. One of those players was Kindle Vildor.
Lions Will Likely Not Miss CB Kindle Vildor in 2025
Starting the season as the CB4, Vildor was pushed into a larger role after injuries to Carlton Davis and Khalil Dorsey. Vildor had to play 97% of defensive snaps against the Commanders in the playoffs when Amik Robertson broke his arm early in the game.
Vildor wasn't able to do much with the increased opportunity. In fact, he finished the season with the lowest overall PFF defensive grade of his career at 46.7. This ranked him 113th among 116 eligible cornerbacks in the league.
When free agency kicked off, Vildor signed a one-year deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, joining Davis and Ifeatu Melifonwu as other defensive backs on the roster to leave this spring.
The Lions signed D.J. Reed from the Jets and Rock Ya-Sin from the 49ers. They still have Terrion Arnold, Ennis Rakestraw Jr., and Khalil Dorsey in the rotation. With a much healthier cornerback room, Vildor wouldn't have had much of a chance in the rotation, anyway. It is hard to imagine the Lions missing the 27-year-old CB at any point next season.