Two players from the Chicago Bears’ 2020 draft class have already found a new home in the league.
Former Bears defensive end Trevis Gipson and cornerback Kindle Vildor have landed with the Tennessee Titans. Vildor was claimed off waivers, per the wire, while Gipson announced he was signing with the Titans on social media. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler confirmed the move.
Buy Bears TicketsGipson and Vildor were both former starters in Chicago, but the writing was on the wall after general manager Ryan Poles overhauled both defensive end and cornerback this offseason.
Gipson, a fifth-round pick by the Bears in 2020, had a career-best seven sacks in 2021. Unfortunately, he fell short of those expectations as part of the NFL’s worst pass rush, which totaled just 20 sacks in 2022. Gipson had 31 total tackles, four tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks and three pass breakups.
Reports indicated that Chicago attempted to trade Gipson ahead of Tuesday’s roster cut deadline, but a deal wasn’t able to materialize. Instead, the Bears parted ways and Tennessee later landed him. Now, Gipson returns to a 3-4 defensive scheme.
Vildor started nine games last season with Chicago before he finished the 2022 season on injured reserve. After the additions of rookies Tyrique Stevenson and Terell Smith, Vildor seemed like the odd man out in the cornerback room. In his career, Vildor has played in 44 games and has 10 pass breakups and one interception. Now, he gets a fresh start with the Titans.
