The New England Patriots addressed the cornerback position for the first time in free agency on Thursday afternoon.

Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers CB Kindle Vildor is signing a one-year deal with the Pats, his agent confirmed to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Vildor, a fifth-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft out of Georgia Southern, has spent time with the Bears, Titans, and Lions, in addition to the Bucs. ESPN’s Mike Reiss roughly/unofficially projects him fifth on the depth chart, filling the void left by the departing Alex Austin.

Vildor, 28, played 164 defensive snaps and 76 on special teams in 12 games for Tampa Bay last season. He played the vast majority of his defensive time on the perimeter, including a start in Week 6. He also got work on the field goal blocking unit and covered punts.

Perhaps notable is that Vildor played many more snaps in zone coverage (85) than he did in man-to-man (22) in 2025, or 68.5% of his total defensive snaps (via Pro Football Focus). Regulars Christian Gonzalez, Carlton Davis III, and Marcus Jones played the majority of the zone coverage snaps last season, and that figures to continue, but Vildor could push Charles Woods for the fourth spot in that pecking order.

This move likely means absolutely nothing for Christian Gonzalez, who remains without a contract extension after the start of his eligibility for one. But it’ll be interesting to see if the Patriots address cornerback in the draft, and how early they do it.

The Patriots started to play more frequent man coverage in the 2025 playoffs, but the regular season showed a commitment to playing zone more often than expected, given the personnel. It makes sense to bolster the depth chart with an experienced zone corner in the room. If nothing else, Vildor would present competition for the likes of Woods, Kobee Minor, Marcellas Dial Jr., and Brandon Crossley in camp.

Matt, a North Andover, Massachusetts native, has been with The Sports Hub since 2010. Growing up the son of Boston University All-American and Melrose High School hall-of-fame hockey player Steve Dolloff, sports was always a part of his life. After attending Northeastern University, Matt focused his love of sports on writing, extensively writing about all four major Boston teams. He also is a co-host of the Sports Hub Underground podcast and is a regular on-air contributor on the Sports Hub. Matt writes about all New England sports from Patriots football to Boston Celtics and Boston Bruins.