Finding a role for Chicago Bears rookie Kindle Vildor in 2020

Can the Chicago Bears get any contribution out of Kindle Vildor in 2020?

The drafting of cornerback Kindle Vildor felt excessive to some Chicago Bears. The team clearly went with the best player available and skipped some areas of need to add Vildor, although they did add Tashaun Gipson after the draft.

Still, with Jaylon Johnson drafted to start across from Kyle Fuller and Buster Skrine in the slot, the starters should be set. Kevin Toliver has progressed to a reliable backup while Artie Burns and Tre Roberson were signed for more outside depth. With Duke Shelley as a backup slot in the waiting, the 53-man roster could easily be filled out with this depth chart.

Vildor is undersized but played on the outside in college. Is Vildor competition for Skrine and Shelley? Does he bring more depth to the outside? Maybe a little of both. As you can see in their physical comparisons below, he is smaller than an average outside cornerback but bigger than the two slot corners on the roster.

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Skrine and Shelley do not have the reach of Vildor, and Vildor has longer arms than Jaylon Johnson, so he could play on the outside. Still, he is two inches shorter than Johnson, which would make him a potential long-armed slot option.

Ryan Pace noted that the option to play inside and outside and with Vildor is what drew him to the pick.

"“He can play inside; he can play outside,” Pace said. “We stress confidence when we talk about the corner position and he definitely has that confidence and that playing demeanor that we look for. [He has] a skill set that also translates well to special teams, which is going to be important especially in the early part of his development.”"

The biggest takeaway here is his special team’s value. Ryan Pace thinks he can make the 53-man roster and provide on game day in multiple phases. That is important. Artie Burns has been negative on special teams in Pittsburgh, and Tre Roberson has not proved himself there. Shelley logged 53 snaps on special teams but added three penalties and a missed tackle.

Of all of the depth cornerbacks, Kevin Toliver is the most proven on special teams, and we have written that he is also the best candidate to be a starter on the outside between him Burns and Roberson.

Considering Burns signed for the veteran minimum and Roberson signed for cheap out of the CFL, these two have to be thinking that their job is on the line and that special teams could very well make the difference.

Vildor can provide outside depth behind Toliver, and slot depth behind Shelley that neither of these two can, which creates roster flexibility. It may not be the biggest role in year one as a third-stringer and special teams asset, but you should expect Vildor to be active on Sundays as a rookie.