The Chicago Bears secondary was primarily blamed for the debacle on Sunday night against Los Angeles. Giving up 321 yards and three touchdowns will do that. However, upon closer inspection, it wasn’t all terrible. Jaylon Johnson was actually quite good during most of the evening, showing that vast potential he exhibited as a rookie. Then there is Kindle Vildor, the former 5th round pick many thought was the weak link at cornerback for them.
In truth, he played better than he got credit for. Throughout the game, Matthew Stafford only targeted him once in coverage, completing a pass for 19 yards on 3rd and 10. While that might sound bad on Vildor’s part, a review of the tape revealed it wasn’t entirely his fault. The Bears’ pass rush failed to generate much pressure on Stafford, who had plenty of time to survey and eventually found Robert Woods on the completion.
Could the coverage have been a little better? Sure.
That said, it was the only noticeable poor play Vildor made all night. His coverage was solid otherwise and he was also reliable in run support. He made five tackles on the evening and didn’t miss a single one. Most of the breakdowns that led to the bad game for the Bears secondary can be credited to nickel cornerback Marqui Christian and safeties Eddie Jackson and Tashaun Gipson. All three of which were responsible for major lapses.
This is why it isn’t a surprise the Bears are already considering a change. Head coach Matt Nagy refused to commit to Christian as the starter for Sunday against the Bengals. Duke Shelley, who was a healthy scratch last week, may get an opportunity to regain the job he lost in the preseason. Not that it will likely fix everything wrong with this group. Still, there are at least encouraging signs.
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Kindle Vildor has the talent but needs experience
It is easy to forget where he came from. Vildor arrived in the NFL from Georgia Southern, a smaller school. So he was largely untested against top-tier competition. Jumping from that to this level was always going to be a difficult transition. Talent isn’t the issue. Vildor has speed, quickness, athleticism, and long arms. It was a matter of him learning the necessary discipline to handle the best receivers in the league.
Playing a team like the Rams was great experience for him. It seems like he showed improvement from where he was in the preseason. Now the matter shifts to whether he can string some good games together. It won’t be easy. Cincinnati brings some really talented pass targets to Chicago this week including 5th overall pick JaMarr Chase. Then two weeks later it’s the deceptively gifted Las Vegas Raiders group. Kindle Vildor has to keep improving if the Bears defense is going to function this year.
The good news for him?
It’s not like the Bears have any viable alternatives. Artie Burns is the only one with starting experience behind him and he flamed out in Pittsburgh prior to joining the team. So unless there is a complete meltdown, Vildor should have the rest of this season to prove he can be a long-term starter. If he continues to improve? The Bears are in a favorable spot with him and Johnson both on cheap rookie contracts.