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Kindle Vildor

Lions Re-Sign CB Kindle Vildor

April 3rd, 2024 at 1:21pm CST by Sam Robinson

Kindle Vildor spent 2023 with four teams. The last of those will see if he can maintain a role. The Lions re-signed the veteran cornerback on Wednesday, per ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter.

Adding Vildor on a practice squad agreement late last season, the Lions will now reunite him with one of his former position coaches. It is a one-year deal. The team hired Deshea Townsend as DBs coach this offseason; the former NFL corner coached Vildor in Chicago.

The Lions are likely still looking for more help at corner, following the release of Cameron Sutton. The former $11MM-per-year defender turned himself in on a domestic battery charge Sunday night. Detroit acquired Carlton Davis from Tampa Bay and re-signed Emmanuel Moseley, but the Sutton development leaves the defending NFC North champions — who already experienced issues at corner last year — vulnerable at the position.

These issues led to the Lions turning to Vildor as a starter opposite Sutton during last season’s final five games. Despite three teams — the Bears, Eagles and Titans — cutting Vildor earlier in 2023, the former fifth-round pick found himself starting and staying on the field for nearly every Lions defensive snap during their most successful playoff run since the 1950s. This did include a memorable play in which a Brock Purdy pass ricocheted off Vildor’s hands and into Brandon Aiyuk‘s arms, setting up a second-half 49ers touchdown during the hosts’ comeback win in the NFC championship game. But the Lions will give the fifth-year vet another opportunity.

Vildor, 26, played under Townsend from 2020-21 with the Bears. The latter year featured a promotion into Chicago’s starting lineup. The Georgia Southern alum was unable to stick as a starter throughout that season, and the Bears’ Ryan Poles-led regime added second-round cornerbacks (Kyler Gordon, Tyrique Stevenson) in each of the previous two offseasons. This led to the Bears waiving Vildor on roster-cutdown day last year. Townsend was no longer with Chicago at that point; he spent the past two years in Jacksonville.

The Lions did not tender Jerry Jacobs, whom Vildor ended up replacing as a boundary starter, as an RFA. but they did add ex-Raider Amik Robertson last month. Robertson offers a background as a slot defender and outside corner, giving a Lions team that also lost safety/slot cog C.J. Gardner-Johnson in free agency. Another move is likely coming, but Vildor will have a chance to compete for a Detroit depth role soon.

Lions Place DL Alim McNeill On IR

December 5th, 2023 at 3:25pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Lions will be without a key defensive piece moving forward. After Alim McNeill left the team’s Week 13 win on multiple occasions, the Lions moved the ascending starter to IR.

Dan Campbell said McNeill was facing a potential absence; Tuesday’s transaction confirms a lengthy stay off the roster will commence. The third-year defensive lineman will not be eligible to be activated until Week 18. Given McNeill’s performance thus far this season, this represents a considerable blow to Detroit’s defense.

Chosen in the third round during Campbell and GM Brad Holmes‘ first draft with the team, McNeill has been a regular Lions starter throughout his career. This season, however, has brought a breakthrough. Pro Football Focus ranks McNeill as the NFL’s sixth-best interior D-lineman. The young defender has five sacks and has matched his full-season tackle-for-loss showing by notching six in the Lions’ first 12 games. Among Lions, only Aidan Hutchinson exited Week 13 with more sacks (5.5) than McNeill.

The good news for the Lions: they might have McNeill back for the playoffs. The North Carolina State product sustained a knee sprain, per NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero, who adds a return this season is in play. This represents a positive development for a Lions team that also may be targeting late-season returns from C.J. Gardner-Johnson and James Houston. Still, the number of unavailable defenders in Detroit is piling up.

Detroit has lost Gardner-Johnson, Houston and Emmanuel Moseley to severe injuries this season. Moseley’s second ACL tear in two years will sideline him into the 2024 offseason. At defensive tackle, the Lions are reasonably well situated. The team has veteran Isaiah Buggs, former second-round pick Levi Onwuzurike and rookie third-rounder Brodric Martin. The latter has not seen much time this season, with the Lions making him a healthy scratch for most of the year. Martin has only played in one game this season. McNeill’s injury could force the Lions into bumping the second-day draft investment into part-time duty.

The Lions rank 23rd defensively, though the unit ranks 10th in DVOA and fifth against the run. McNeill has been a central part in the success against ground attacks. To help fill the void, the Lions signed 13-year veteran interior D-lineman Tyson Alualu to their practice squad. In addition to the McNeill and Alualu transactions, Detroit signed cornerback Kindle Vildor from the practice squad to the 53-man roster.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/14/23

November 14th, 2023 at 8:36pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s practice squad transactions:

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Denver Broncos

  • Released: CB Reese Taylor

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

  • Signed: LB Austin Ajiake

Houston Texans

Los Angeles Chargers

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/13/23

November 13th, 2023 at 8:38pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s practice squad transactions:

Carolina Panthers

Minnesota Vikings

Philadelphia Eagles

Myles Gaskin is back in Minnesota following a brief stint in Los Angeles. The running back spent the beginning of the season with the Vikings, seeing time in a single game. He was snagged by the Rams in October and got into one game with his new squad before getting waived. Now, the RB is back with the Vikings, and he’ll provide some depth at the position while Alexander Mattison deals with a concussion.

Titans Sign DT Taylor Stallworth To Active Roster, Waive OL Justin Murray

October 14th, 2023 at 11:06am CST by Ben Levine

The Titans reworked the bottom of their roster in anticipation of tomorrow’s game against the Ravens. The team announced that they’ve signed defensive back Shyheim Carter and defensive tackle Taylor Stallworth to the active roster. The team also promoted safety Dane Cruikshank and defensive lineman Jaleel Johnson from the practice squad. To make room, the team waived offensive lineman Justin Murray and cornerback Kindle Vildor.

Defensive lineman Teair Tart missed Week 5 with a toe injury. While he was able to return to practice in a limited fashion on Friday, he’s still a question mark for Sunday. That necessitated the team’s need for some defensive line help. Johnson has already earned a pair of promotions this season, so a full-time contract could be coming next week. The veteran started 16 games for the Vikings back in 2020, and he’s appeared in 76 games across six-plus seasons.

Stallworth also brings experience to the table, having appeared in 57 games since entering the NFL in 2018. After collecting 16 tackles and three sacks in 16 games with the Colts in 2021, the defensive lineman split the 2022 campaign between Houston and Kansas City.

Murray brought some experience to Tennessee’s offensive line when he joined the organization in early August. He ultimately landed on the Titans’ practice squad but still saw time in four games with the big-league club, serving as a backup OL and special teamer. Murray started 19 games for the Cardinals between 2019 and 2020, but he’s bounced around the league since getting released by Arizona in 2022.

Wednesday NFL Transactions: AFC South

August 30th, 2023 at 2:30pm CST by Sam Robinson

Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline Tuesday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters. In addition to waiver claims, teams can begin constructing their 16-man practice squads today. These Colts, Jaguars, Texans and Titans moves are noted below.

Houston Texans

Claimed:

Waived:

Signed to practice squad:

Indianapolis Colts

Placed on IR:

Signed:

Claimed:

Waived:

Signed to practice squad: 

Jacksonville Jaguars

Claimed:

Waived:

Signed to practice squad:

Tennessee Titans

Claimed:

Waived:

Signed to practice squad:

Released:

Released from IR via injury settlement:

Bears Set Initial Roster, Waive DE Trevis Gipson

August 29th, 2023 at 4:24pm CST by Ben Levine

The Bears have been slowly trimming down their squad over the past few days, and the front office has now officially landed on their initial roster. The Bears announced the following moves, some of which were previously reported:

Placed on IR:

Released:

Waived:

Waived/injured:

The moves actually reduce Chicago’s roster to 52 players, so additions are certainly coming.

Trevis Gipson is a bit of a surprise cut after the former fifth-round pick got into 33 games (19 starts) for the Bears over the past two years. The defensive lineman showed some pass-rushing prowess during his rookie season, compiling seven sacks, seven tackles for loss, and seven QB hits. His numbers took a bit of a step back in 2022, with the Tulsa product finishing with only three sacks. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler (via Twitter), the Bears worked on a trade for Gipson and had “teams involved” in the bidding but couldn’t come to terms before today’s roster deadline.

Trestan Ebner was another Bears draft pick that got into 17 games last season. The 2022 sixth-round pick ended up getting 26 touches on offense, collecting 62 yards from scrimmage while coughing up two fumbles. Ebner also returned 10 kickoffs for Chicago last season. The running back has been in concussion protocol since the early parts of the preseason, and there’s a chance he reverts to the Bears’ injured reserve if he goes unclaimed.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/23/22

December 23rd, 2022 at 5:56pm CST by Ely Allen

Today’s minor moves heading into the NFL’s largest slate of Saturday games of the season:

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Kansas City Chiefs

Minnesota Vikings

  • Promoted from practice squad: G Kyle Hinton

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

NFC Rumors: Bears, Biadasz, Cowboys, Vikings

July 2nd, 2021 at 8:01pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Bears made Kyle Fuller a surprise cap casualty shortly after free agency’s outset, and while the team did sign Desmond Trufant, the former well-paid Falcon has struggled with injuries in each of the past two seasons. Chicago has resisted adding more help at the position, and Trufant may not have the inside track to start opposite Jaylon Johnson at outside cornerback. After a strong minicamp, Kindle Vildor may be ahead of Trufant on the track toward a starting job, Adam Jahns of The Athletic notes (subscription required). Although the 2020 fifth-round pick out of Georgia Southern only played 135 defensive snaps as a rookie, new DC Sean Desai mentioned him as an in-house solution to replace either Fuller or departed slot corner Buster Skrine. The Bears going with Vildor alongside Johnson will certainly represent an experience step back, with Fuller and Skrine having combined to play 17 seasons.

Here is the latest from the NFC:

  • On a similar note, the Cowboys appear set on a 2020 Day 3 pick taking over at center. Travis Frederick‘s retirement initially thrust Joe Looney into Dallas’ starting lineup, and after fourth-round pick Tyler Biadasz replaced an injured Looney early last season en route to four starts, the veteran reclaimed his job after a Biadasz pregame hamstring injury. Biadasz played just one offensive snap in Dallas’ final eight games, but Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News notes the Cowboys plan to use the Wisconsin product as their starter this season. Looney, 30, remains a free agent, while OC Kellen Moore has talked up Biadasz this offseason. Biadasz started three years at center for the Badgers, winning the Rimington Award — given to college football’s top center — in 2019.
  • Some additional details have surfaced on Sheldon Richardson‘s second Vikings contract. The well-traveled defensive tackle agreed to return to Minnesota on a one-year, $3.6MM deal. The Vikings included some incentives in the former Defensive Rookie of the Year’s contract as well. Richardson can collect $250K if he reaches five sacks this season, Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star Tribune tweets. If Richardson gets to seven sacks, a $500K bonus will await. The team included another $250K bonus if the 30-year-old D-tackle makes the Pro Bowl. Richardson has two five-plus-sack seasons (2014 and ’15) and one Pro Bowl on his resume.
  • The Saints have included an interesting incentive in Ryan Ramczyk‘s extension, but it only will benefit the All-Pro right tackle if he moves to the left side.
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