Could the Redskins Fill with Fuller?
Kendall Fuller was a third-round draft pick by the Washington Redskins in 2016. He played two strong seasons for the Redskins until that late day in January 2018 where Fuller learned, via social media, he had been traded to the Kansas City Chiefs in a deal for quarterback Alex Smith.
Fuller is now an unrestricted free agent.
And, according to Ben Standig of The Athletic, a return to Washington is a possibility.
Looking back at that 2016 Washington draft class and you’ll likely cringe. Josh Doctson and Su’a Cravens weren’t just busts in Washington, but they are either out of the league or barely hanging on in Doctson’s case.
Two players from that class did stand out: Fuller and fifth-round pick Matt Ioannidis.
The Redskins perhaps have the worst cornerback situation in the league. Josh Norman was a bust and he’s gone. Quinton Dunbar is good, but his demands for a new contract were met with resistance, resulting in a demand for a trade or release. Neither is happening. The issue with Dunbar isn’t his ability on the field, it is his availability.
Next, there is Fabian Moreau. A third-round pick in 2017, Moreau has battled injuries and inconsistency. The previous staff also played him out of position at the slot cornerback position. Moreau is strictly an outside cornerback and once he moved outside last season, his play improved dramatically.
Next season is huge for Moreau.
Jimmy Moreland, a seventh-round pick in 2019, is also back. Moreland showed promise last season, but he is still a project. He is an excellent for depth and future development, but the team cannot go into 2020 expecting him to be one of the top three corners.
That brings us back to Fuller.
The Redskins have struggled to cover slot receivers the last two seasons. In Fuller’s final season in Washington back in 2017, he was arguably the top slot corner in the league. With teams almost always in nickel packages now, having a player dedicated to covering inside receivers is absolutely necessary.
Fuller had a strong two years in Kansas City. While some would argue his career didn’t take the next step, he was still very good. He often played inside and outside for the Chiefs and was absolutely critical to their Super Bowl run.
Fuller is versatile and is also strong in the running game. He is a willing and able tackler. Signing Fuller would strengthen the secondary and also solidify a critical position on the defense.
The Redskins will be linked to James Bradberry. However, bringing back Fuller makes more sense both financially and on the field. Washington can sign Fuller and also add another veteran corner on the outside to compete with Moreau.
Fuller should be one of the first players Washington contacts when the legal tampering period opens next week.
Bryan Manning has covered the NFL, MLB, NBA, college football and college basketball for almost 10 years for various outlets such as Bleacher Report, SB Nation, FanSided, USA Today SMG, and others. Bryan has covered the Washington Redskins for different outlets and currently co-hosts a podcast on the Virginia Tech Hokies for SB Nation. For his day job, Bryan works in engineering for a major communications company.
