Patriots Sign Former Buccaneers CB

The New England Patriots have made many signings this offseason and they're continuing to do so, focusing on their secondary for 2026.

Adam Schefter of ESPN reported that the Patriots signed cornerback Kindle Vildor to a one-year deal, with an undisclosed salary.

Vildor makes this six different NFL teams in his seven-year career, and will look to find playing time and consistency in New England.

It also gives the Patriots more depth at the cornerback position, which is always needed for deep playoff runs.

Background on Kindle Vildor

Vildor spent the 2025 campaign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he signed a one-year deal with the past offseason.

He played in 12 games for the Buccaneers and made one start in the 34-7 blowout road defeat to the Los Angeles Rams in Week 12.

Vildor finished with 16 tackles (11 solo), including a season-high five tackles in the 38-35 road win over the Seattle Seahawks in Week 5. He also made an interception off of San Francisco Giants quarterback Mac Jones in the 30-19 home win in Week 6.

He previously played with the Detroit Lions in the 2023 and 2024 seasons, making four starts in 22 games. He finished with 26 tackles (19 solo) and two tackles for loss with the franchise.

Nov 28, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Lions cornerback Kindle Vildor (29) reacts against the Chicago Bears in the fourth quarter at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images | Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

Vildor was on the practice squad with both the Tennessee Titans and Philadelphia Eagles in 2023, but was first with the Chicago Bears, who took him in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

He played in 44 games over his three seasons from 2020-22, starting in 22 games (half of them), with 97 tackles (67 solo), three tackles for loss, a sack and an interception.

His first interception came off of Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins in a 29-22 road defeat in Week 5 of the 2022 season. His first sack came on Baltimore Ravens quarterback Tyler Huntley in a 16-13 home loss in Week 11 of the 2021 season.

Vildor started 12 of the 17 games he played in 2021 and then started nine of the 11 games he played in 2022, before an ankle injury ended his season at the end of November.

Vildor's NFL Stats

Stat	Total
Games Played (Starts)	80 (27)
Tackles (Solo)	140 (98)
TFLs (Sacks)	5.0 (1.0)
Interceptions	2
Forced Fumbles	1

He previously played in college for Georgia Southern, where he excelled at the mid-major level.

Vildor was a two-time All-Sun Belt honoree, plus the Sun Belt Defender of the Year as a junior in 2018, which earned him Second Team All-American honors.

He finished that season with 42 tackles (31 solo), 4.5 tackles for loss, four interceptions and a Sun-Belt high 11 passes defended.

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