When discussing the Chicago Bears cornerback position, two names dominate the headlines. Jaylon Johnson is their #1 guy and continues to prove it with every practice and game rep. Then there is rookie Kyler Gordon, the team’s top draft choice. Despite some early health setbacks, he delivered his best all-around performance in Cleveland on Saturday night. After that, guys like Tavon Young and Thomas Graham Jr. get the buzz, even as both remain out with injuries.
Bears coaches, meanwhile, have talked up one name no fan wants to hear. Kindle Vildor was terrible in 2021. That isn’t up for debate. Opposing quarterbacks targeted him 59 times, completing 41 passes for 598 yards and six touchdowns. That works out to a 136.1 passer rating. Very bad. People were ready to see him gone. The new coaching staff wasn’t ready to do that yet. They wanted to see how he looked in their defense. Word began to spread that the former 5th round pick looked solid in practice. That seems to have carried over into the preseason.
Through the first two games, Vildor gave up just 13 yards on four targets, nine of those yards coming on one of those three completions. He also forced an incompletion and had a pass breakup. Then came the Cleveland game.
Chicago Bears watched Vildor save his best for last.
Two plays stood out. The first came in the 2nd quarter. Cleveland ran a fake end-around with the intent of setting up a screen. Vildor didn’t let himself get carried deep, passing the receiver off to the safety. When Jacoby Brissett threw the screen, he fired downhill to blow the play up for a four-yard loss.
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He wasn’t done, though. Late in the quarter, a Bears fumble led to a short field for Cleveland. They had enough time left for a shot at the end zone on 3rd and short. Quarterback Josh Dobbs went right at Vildor. The cornerback didn’t flinch, getting great position on the Browns receiver and almost picking it off.
It was the perfect cap to a strong preseason for him. The Chicago Bears can’t be sure how he’ll respond when the real bullets start flying next month. Still, it looks like he responded to their challenge this summer and has rediscovered some of what made him an intriguing prospect in the first place two years ago.
The Fangio style D they used to run left CBs playing a lot of man coverage. This defense is more zone based. Vildor is a decent zone CB and not afraid to run to the ball and make tackles. It’s just a much better fit for his skillset.
KV has shown flashes before, but this season in camp and thru the preseason he has started to string games together of pretty decent CB play. If the trend continues, Kindle Vildor will be hard to unseat as the starting CB across from Jaylon Johnson. Vildor on the outside with a healthy Kyler Gordon in the slot will definitely slow down opponents’ passing game and help create sacks for R Quinn and Co.
Was it the head coach or GM last year that said the bears were taking over the north? I assume its coming this year then?
Hey guys!
Erik “Lambo-Leap” Lambert here! Thanks for reading my article! It was a slow day at the office and I had to think of something while my wife cucked me!
Again, the Chicago sports media (due to their reliance on PFF and NextGen stats, rather than the “hard work” of understanding football and watching some game tapes) have created the impression in Bears fans minds that Kindle Vildor is not a quality CB.
Vildor is excellent in run support and even published stats claim he allowed 5 TDs, last year (the same as Jaylon Johnson).
Better communication, teammates, coaching and scheme will reveal the truth about Vildor.
Try to learn something about the game you report on, Lambert. Unfortunately, you’d probably still be the only one.