The Detroit Lions have seen their secondary take a hit in the early stages of free agency. On the first day of the legal tampering period, veteran cornerback Carlton Davis signed a massive three-year deal with the New England Patriots.
Then, on Tuesday, Ifeatu Melifonwu left the team to sign a one-year contract with the Miami Dolphins. The Lions were able to fill Davis’ void, signing D.J. Reed to a three-year deal. But Detroit must make a huge push to address the depth, as they lost another CB in free agency.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, former Detroit Lions cornerback Kindle Vildor signed a one-year deal with the Tampa Buccaneers.
Buccaneers reached agreement on a one-year deal with CB Kindle Vildor, per his agents Kevin Conner and Robert Brown.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 13, 2025
NFL News: CB Kindle Vildor Signs With the Bucs
The 27-year-old defensive back played 22 games across two seasons with the Lions. Detroit signed Vildor to its practice squad on Nov. 14, 2023, after he was released by the Philadelphia Eagles.
The veteran cornerback was signed to the active roster weeks later, where he appeared in two games during the 2023 season. Vildor re-signed with the Lions on a one-year contract last year and made the most of his opportunities in 2024.
The 5-foot-11 defensive back appeared in all 17 games and made two starts. Vildor recorded 16 combined tackles and three pass deflections. Despite not playing much on defense in 2024 (22 percent of snaps), Vildor still had a 44.0 completion percentage allowed on targets and a 62.1 pass rating allowed when targeted.
The Lions can likely fill Vildor’s spot in the later stages of free agency or through the 2025 NFL Draft. That said, Detroit still has a shot to re-sign Emmanuel Moseley or Khalil Dorsey, who are unrestricted free agents.
Moseley has only appeared in three games over the last two years with Detroit, while Dorsey has appeared in 27 games over the same time frame.