Bears Safety Swaps Numbers, Hinting at Veteran’s Departure

Getty Bears safety Elijah Hicks is switching his jersey number from No. 37 to No. 22 for the 2023 season.

The Chicago Bears may have just foreshadowed that former starting cornerback Kindle Vildor’s time with their defense is coming to an end.

According to Brad Biggs of The Chicago Tribune, Bears second-year safety Elijah Hicks is switching his jersey number from the No. 37 he wore as a rookie to No. 22 for the 2023 season, which is the number that Vildor has worn in his first three seasons.

While the number swap could simply mean Vildor is changing numbers, it is far more likely that it is an early indication that the Bears are going to release him when they finalize their initial 53-man roster ahead of the 4 p.m. ET deadline today, August 29.

Vildor was demoted to the bottom of the Bears’ unofficial depth chart during training camp earlier in August, getting listed as one of their fourth-stringers along with Jaylon Jones, Michael Ojemudia (who has also been cut) and Macon Clark. It is a significant fall for the fourth-year veteran who has started 21 games over the past two seasons, but not entirely unexpected given the emergent depth at the position for the Bears.

According to Over the Cap, the Bears would save $2.743 million in cap space if they cut Vildor and would only be left with $77,668 in dead cap for their decision.

Kindle Vildor Has Been a Cut Candidate All Offseason

The writing has been on the wall for Vildor since the conclusion of the 2023 NFL draft. The Bears moved up in the second round to get Miami standout Tyrique Stevenson and then circled back to the position in the fifth round, adding Minnesota’s Terell Smith to give them three drafted cornerbacks in Ryan Poles’ first two years as general manager.

With Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon also back to retain their starting jobs, there was little doubt that Vildor would spend most of the summer on the roster bubble.

In theory, Vildor could have compelled the Bears to keep him for the final year of his rookie contract in 2023 if he had shown up to camp looking like he had taken another step forward from where he left things in the previous season. He hit career-highs in interceptions (one), pass deflections (five) and tackles for loss (two) over his 11 games and nine starts for the Bears in 2022, but he struggled down the stretch in coverage, allowing five receptions for 109 yards and two touchdowns in his final game of the year.

Once it became clear in camp that Stevenson and Smith were the primary contenders for the No. 2 outside starting cornerback job opposite Johnson, though, the chances of Vildor remaining with Chicago seemed to evaporate. He played significant snaps (74) in the preseason for the Bears, and while his performances weren’t bad, his ample playing time made it obvious that he was fighting for his future ahead of the new season.

Tyrique Stevenson Has All But Secured Starting Job

The second outside cornerback job seemed destined to belong to the second-round Stevenson with second-year Kyler Gordon moving into the slot and Stevenson doing his best to show out during OTAs in the spring. Smith, however, made things interesting in August when he started getting first-team reps with the defense in training camp.

“It’s a competition until the end,” Stevenson said at the time. “We both got drafted. For opportunities, it really doesn’t matter where you got drafted at. At the end of the day, he comes in every day with his head down willing to work just as I am.”

Unfortunately, Smith suffered an injury after his first preseason performance and was forced to miss the second game while Stevenson started soaking up the spotlight. Though Stevenson had a few rookie blunders — including a would-be interception that went through his hands in the end zone against Indianapolis — he also had plenty of chances to make plays and solidify his spot in the Day 1 starting lineup.

Smith also had a rough return to action in the preseason finale against Buffalo last weekend, recording two stops and allowing just a 50% catch rate (two of four) but also missing two tackles that earned him unfavorable grades from Pro Football Focus.

The good news: Smith has shown enough promise to excite the Bears about his long-term future with their secondary. He could even get an opportunity to start if injuries strike during the regular season or Stevenson starts to underperform. For now, though, he will have to keep grinding and bide his time until the Bears call upon him.