Surprising Buccaneers player catching Todd Bowles’ eye

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have made it through their first week of training camp. The NFL preseason is right around the corner and head coach Todd Bowles is looking for his team to embrace the challenge.

Tampa Bay is at the beginning of its journey and there's a long way to go to secure a fifth consecutive NFC South championship. That will take some unexpected members of the roster rising up alongside established players such as quarterback Baker Mayfield, wide receiver Mike Evans, linebacker Lavonte David, and safety Antoine Winfield Jr.

Early on in camp, Bowles has already been surprised by one player on defense. Following practice on Sunday, he went out of his way to praise veteran cornerback Kindle Vildor while discussing the defensive backfield.

Vildor signed with the Buccaneers during free agency in March after spending a season and a half with the Detroit Lions. Last year, he appeared in all 17 games and totaled 16 tackles and three pass deflections.

"A lot of versatility back there – there are a lot of guys that can do a lot of things," Bowles said. "All of them are very smart. Obviously, [Kindle] Vildor coming in, No. 22, does a lot of things well for us. That was a surprise."

"We keep moving them around and seeing what they're good at," Bowles added. We know what they can do at the position they're in, but we want to see, just in case of emergencies or if things come up, can they do other things? Right now, that's part of the process of it."

The 27-year-old has the versatility to play inside or outside on defense. That's something the Buccaneers are looking for after injuries ravaged the unit in 2024.

Vildor was originally selected by the Chicago Bears in the fifth-round of the 2020 NFL Draft. He spent three seasons with the franchise, developing into a starter over 2021-22. During those two seasons, Vildor appeared in 28 games and made 21 starts, totaling 80 tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack, nine pass deflections, and one interception.

The Bears released Vildor ahead of the 2023 campaign, pushing him into a bit of a pinball cycle. Kindle joined the Tennessee Titans but was cut in October. A few days later, the Philadelphia Eagles picked him up but quickly chose to move on.

That led Kildor to Detroit, where he contributed on a team that made the postseason in back-to-back years.

During his professional career, Kildor has appeared in 68 games, with 26 starts. He's recorded 124 tackles, five tackles for loss, one sack, one forced fumble, 15 pass deflections, and one interception.

There's no guarantee Vildor makes the 53-man roster in Tampa but he's giving himself a chance by standing out. That will need to continue into the upcoming preseason games.

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