SAD NEWS: So disheartened As Detroits Lions Coach Eventually Drew Back.

ALLEN APRK — Kindle Vildor, the new cornerback for the Detroit Lions, appears to have done well enough in his one game against his former team last weekend to earn more defensive opportunities going forward.

After starting the game, Jerry Jacobs eventually drew 53 more snaps. However, Vildor took his place for a few series, recording 17 snaps in his team debut before experiencing cramps that cut short his day. While opposing quarterbacks have made it a point to feed that side of the field, Jacobs has been stuck in a prolonged rut. Compared to his teammates, he has been targeted seven times more often and given up eight more catches than any other Lions defender.

In Chicago, Jacobs was the only defender targeted five or more times, and he also led the way in that area in New Orleans. On Thanksgiving, the Packers passed the ball to Jacobs nine times; you get the idea.

Aaron Glenn, the defensive coordinator, has had a difficult situation. With Ceedy Duce and Emmanuel Moseley, the Lions attempted to address those gaps in free agency. However, Duce won’t be back until late December or early January, if at all, and Moseley is out for the season, so Jacobs will once again start for the defense at almost every opportunity.

Here’s where Vildor comes into play. Despite Steven Gilmore and Khalil Dorsey spending the entire season in Allen Park, he is the first player to break through the outside cornerback rotation this season. However, Vildor had some excellent tape against the Bears. Vildor was ranked as the team’s top coverage defender by Pro Football Focus, giving up just 11 yards on three receptions. Vildor was rated by PFF as the team’s third-best defender of the day, excluding snap limitations.

Over the past three seasons, Jacobs has played a significant number of snaps. Despite his difficulties, he stands out from the rest of the group in the room behind CB1 Cam Sutton because he understands the terminology and the system. Vildor had the opportunity to hold the door open going forward after those struggles left it unhinged.

Vildor, a 2020 fifth-round selection, has also seen substantial live reps as he started 22 games over three seasons in Chicago. This defense needs someone with ball skills, and his nine interceptions in three seasons at Georgia Southern are hard to ignore.

According to PFF, Sutton is ranked 89th among the 129 cornerbacks with enough spots to qualify, while Jacobs is ranked 95th, so something had to give.

Following the game on Sunday, Campbell remarked, “I felt like there were some good by all of those guys that played.” However, until I see everything for myself, I won’t know enough. However, as our guys are aware, we’re constantly searching and there’s competition here. Still, it’s the same thing. I’m not experiencing panic. I’m not becoming less assured. We’re good, man, I’m not.

“We have four left to go. All we need to do is regain our composure and carry on fighting as we always have. After all, this wasn’t our day, dude. We couldn’t manage it. That’s what happens when you play that way against a good team, and this is a good team. We’ll tidy it up and go on, I guess. That’s what rival businesses do. Effective teams operate in this way.