The moment the Chicago Bears released Kyle Fuller, people knew the secondary was venturing into the unknown. While they still have Jaylon Johnson who looks like he will be a really good player, there isn’t anybody behind him with a proven track record. Despite this, the team has continued to express confidence in second-year man Kindle Vildor. One of their 5th round picks from last season.
They loved how much work he put in during the summer and seemed to look sharp in training camp. However, that didn’t translate to the preseason. In 44 coverage snaps, Vildor gave up five catches for 44 yards on six targets. He also had two missed tackles. It was apparent opposing teams were picking on him. The fact it came against mostly backup receivers didn’t do anything to instill confidence about his capability as a starter.
That didn’t seem to deter the Bears.
They made their stance pretty clear during final cuts when veteran Desmond Trufant was released. That made Vildor the heavy favorite to start opposite Johnson on opening night in Los Angeles. Have they lost their minds? Former Bears personnel director Greg Gabriel doesn’t think so. He explained on the No Name Football podcast that Vildor is a talented young corner. The problem is he’s raw. He can’t get better unless the Bears give him a chance to play.
“Going back to his college tape, his college tape was excellent. In fact, he looked a lot better than a guy who would be taken that late (5th round). His combine numbers were excellent…
…He had a lot of interceptions and pass breakups in college. He was a physical guy. But he played at a lower level of Division I at Georgia Southern. So now you’ve really got to jump up two levels of competition…I think he’s still raw. But the talent’s there. When you’ve got that kind of talent, you need experience.
He’s going to get beat. There’s no question about it. But it’s how he reacts to getting beat and how he comes back from it that you look for in a player.”
People don’t think about that part. Vildor played almost no snaps through the first 13 games of his rookie season. He didn’t get significant playing time until the win over Minnesota on December 20th. So he has only started two actual games. One against Jacksonville and the other in the playoffs against New Orleans. It is easy to forget this kid hasn’t played much.
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I'm gonna go on record and say I actually believe in Kindle Vildor. Dude is athletic, baits QBs, and presses like a beast. Once he gets comfortable passing in zones, he'll be just fine. pic.twitter.com/7E1MeKyfAM
— Bear Weather Fans (@BearWeatherFans) September 1, 2021
Nice tackle by Kindle Vildor. I would not be surprised if the rookie got a pick today. He’s got a great eye for the ball pic.twitter.com/sfZxs0CGZM
— Barroom Network – Aldo Gandia (@BarroomNetwork) December 20, 2020
Kindle Vildor won’t be eased into this thing
He’s going to face a gauntlet of challenges from the moment the season begins. Matthew Stafford and the Rams in Week 1. Baker Mayfield and the Browns in Week 3. Derek Carr and the Raiders in Week 5. Then a murderous slate that will include Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, and Ben Roethlisberger. All of whom have great receivers at their disposal. Vildor will absolutely get beat a number of times in that stretch.
It will come down to how he responds when that inevitably happens. Will he get discouraged and let it lead to more mistakes? Or will he shrug it off, keep working hard, and learn how to adjust? Playing cornerback in the NFL is one of the toughest jobs in existence. It takes an incredible amount of mental toughness. The Bears can’t afford to bring him along slowly. All they can do is put him on the field and give him a chance.
From there? It’s up to him.
If Kindle Vildor can take that next step, the Bears might have their starting corners for the next few years. A huge stroke of good fortune as they prepare to overturn the defensive roster due to age. They have Roquan Smith and Bilal Nichols in place. Johnson looks poised for big things. If Vildor can join them, Chicago will have a solid foundation to build around in the next couple of years.