Kindle Vildor and Mike Brown reverted to the New England Patriots’ practice squad on Monday after serving as standard elevations at Highmark Stadium.
Both veteran defensive backs had a hand in what became a 29-26 AFC East upset over the Buffalo Bills.
Vildor, 28, got the call at cornerback after the 2025 division winners ruled out All-Pro Christian Gonzalez due to a shoulder injury and later downgraded undrafted rookie Channing Canada due to a hamstring injury. He stepped in to play eight snaps on defense
and five snaps on special teams during the visit to Orchard Park. With No. 3 option Charles Woods also missing time on the sideline, his Sunday brought a pair of tackles, including one for a loss of three yards on a shotgun run by former NFL MVP Josh Allen.
Signed by the Patriots as an unrestricted free agent in March, the 5-foot-11, 189-pound Vildor recorded an interception in August preseason action and joined the practice squad at its formation after being released at the NFL’s 53-man roster deadline. Originally entering the league with the Chicago Bears in the fifth round of the 2020 draft at No. 163 overall, the Georgia Southern product made additional stops with the Tennessee Titans, Philadelphia Eagles, Detroit Lions and Tampa Bay Buccaneers before arriving in Foxborough.
Through 81 appearances, including 27 starts, Vildor has had a hand in 142 tackles, one sack, one forced fumble and two interceptions across 2,113 snaps on defense and 578 snaps in the kicking game.
Brown, 27, stands as a back-to-back elevation after previously taking the field against the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Stadium. The 6-foot-1, 218-pound safety has seen 12 snaps on defense and 42 snaps on special teams over the past pair of weeks and notched a pair of tackles. He tied for the team lead with 88 percent of the workload in the kicking game on Sunday. That was with former special teams captain Brenden Schooler on the non-football injury list and fellow core defensive back Dell Pettus on injured reserve.
Undrafted in 2022, Brown spent time on the practice squads of the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings and Cleveland Browns before heading to Tennessee’s 53-man roster late in his rookie season. The Miami of Ohio product remained with the Titans until being non-tendered as a restricted free agent ahead of the 2026 league year. He signed with the Patriots in March and was retained on the initial practice squad after being released at the cutdown deadline.
Now 37 games into his career, including five starts, Brown has totaled 61 tackles and two passes defensed over the course of 515 snaps on defense and 802 snaps on special teams.
Three standard elevations are permitted under NFL rules before requiring 53-man contracts to suit up. Two call-ups remain for the corner this regular season, while one remains for the safety.
Head coach Mike Vrabel’s 2-2 Patriots move forward with an open spot on the active roster while awaiting returns from the reserve lists.
The Las Vegas Raiders visit Gillette Stadium next Sunday. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET.
