Buccaneers free agent signing was NFL's most physical cornerback in 2024

But is that a good thing?

Detroit Lions cornerback Kindle Vildor reacts against the Chicago Bears. / Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers looked to shore up their secondary in free agency and the draft in 2025, and they made a few moves to do so. The biggest ones were the draft picks of Notre Dame's Benjamin Morrison and Kansas State's Jacob Parrish, but the Bucs also signed a cornerback in free agency.

Tampa Bay brought on former Detroit Lions cornerback Kindle Vildor, who started two games and played in 17 of them in 2024. Vildor filled in admirably for the Lions, giving up a 62.1 passer rating and a 44% completion percentage when the ball was thrown his way. He also has another distinction that he can bring to the Bucs — per Pro Football Focus, Vildor was the most physical cornerback in football last year, making contact with his wideouts on 50.5% of his reps.

That wasn't always a good thing, though, as writer John Kosko noted:

"Vildor was extremely physical in 2024 with the Lions in a part-time role. Mostly seeing action in dime packages and when the defense started suffering injuries later in the year, Vildor got his hands on opposing receivers more than 50% of the time — but mostly to his detriment. He was called for four penalties on 100 coverage snaps where he made contact with the opposing receiver and also allowed six first downs and 1.54 yards per coverage snap on those plays, resulting in a 29.1 PFF coverage grade."

Detroit Lions cornerback Kindle Vildor runs up the tunnel after the game win against the Minnesota Vikings at Ford Field. / David Reginek-Imagn Images

Vildor's physical style of play seemed to be too aggressive at times, which he'll need to dial back if he intends to get some playing time in Tampa Bay. He'll be behind Morrison and incumbent starters Jamel Dean and Zyon McCollum, so he's a bit far back in the order, but Todd Bowles' zone-based scheme may be better for him in that aspect.

Regardless, Vildor will probably get a lot of special teams play if he's able to stick around the roster. He can certainly bring that physical aspect of his game to that focus, and if he does, he'll be able to carve out a role for himself with the Buccaneers.

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READ MORE: PFF ranks Buccaneers linebacker outside Top 20 in latest rankings

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