Buccaneers Lose More DB Depth After Cornerback Signs With Patriots

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have made a few key signings in free agency to address some areas of need. They brought on former Detroit Lions linebacker Alex Anzalone to start there, former Pittsburgh Steelers running back Kenny Gainwell to supplement Bucky Irving and edge rusher Al-Quadin Muhammad to serve as a quality rotational edge rusher, among other moves.

That being said, Tampa Bay has still lost some players, too. The Bucs most notably lost franchise legend Mike Evans to the San Francisco 49ers, but they also lost two cornerbacks — starter Jamel Dean to the Pittsburgh Steelers, and now, depth cornerback Kindle Vildor to the New England Patriots.

Vildor signed a one-year deal with the Patriots, per ESPN's Adam Schefter, making him the second Bucs cornerback to leave free agency. The loss is not a huge one for the Bucs, but it is indicative of a greater problem.

Buccaneers badly need cornerback depth

Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Kindle Vildor (22) reacts after an interception during the first half against the San Francisco 49ers | Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images

Vildor filled in due to injuries for a few games in 2025, playing in 12 games and starting in one of them. He netted 16 total tackles, three passes defended and one interception, so Tampa Bay probably won't miss his production when he was in — but his departure leaves the cornerback room very, very thin.

With Vildor and Dean leaving, Tampa Bay's cornerback room is a bit dire. The Bucs have a lot of options at nickel, with Jacob Parrish starting there after a really strong year and safeties like Tykee Smith and Antoine Winfield Jr. also able to play there under duress. But when it comes to outside corner, there aren't many players left — second-year Benjamin Morrison and veteran Zyon McCollum are set to start alongside each other, but behind that, Tampa Bay's only real remaining cornerback is Josh Hayes.

Hayes hasn't played great in his limited time on the defense, and he's more of a special teams player. With that in mind, Tampa Bay desperately needs to bring on another cornerback or two to shore up its depth and ensure that the secondary is ready in case of injuries. There were plenty of those last year, with every outside corner missing time at some point, so the Bucs should think about signing a veteran cornerback for depth and then drafting another one in the NFL Draft coming up in April.

It will be interesting to see what Tampa Bay does with its cornerback room, but one thing is for certain — it needs to do quite a lot to be ready for the upcoming season.

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram for the latest news.