Kendall Fuller – backfield savior or overpaid and overrated?

July 2, 2020

by Steve Thomas

When Kendall Fuller was unceremoniously shipped out to the Kansas City Chiefs as a part of the Alex Smith trade two years ago, Redskins fans were fairly apoplectic about it, fearing that the team had given away a future defensive backfield star.  Then, the situation was made worse when Smith suffered his career and life-threatening leg injury, making it seem like the Redskins essentially gave Fuller away for nothing.

Well, never fear, folks, because Kendall is back home in DC where he belongs, and on a long-term contract to boot.  Expectations regarding his performance and ability to transform a secondary that has at times been somewhere between “terrible” and “an unmitigated disaster” are soaring.  Is this unbridled optimism warranted?  Or are we all going to be disappointed yet again?  Let’s dive into Kendall Fuller and try and find out.

Background

Fuller (5’11” / 196) is a native of Montgomery County, Maryland, and attended Our Lady of Good Counsel High School in Olney, Maryland, where he was a five star prospect in the class of 2013.  Fuller had offers from a myriad of top schools, including Alabama, Clemson, Boston College, and Cal, but ultimately chose Virginia Tech.  Incidentally, he was recruited to Tech by defensive backs coach Torrian Gray, who later went on to serve in the same capacity for the Redskins in 2017 – 18.  All 3 of Kendall older brothers also played for Tech and later in the NFL, including Kyle Fuller, who is a 2x Pro Bowler with the Chicago Bears.

Kendall played 29 games in 3 seasons for the Hokies, making a total of 119 tackles, including 73 solo, 3.5 sacks, and 8 interceptions, 1 of which he returned for a touchdown.  Fuller was injured and didn’t participate in drills at the 2016 NFL Combine, but was later timed in the 40 yard dash in 4.48 seconds.

The Redskins drafted him in round 3.  He had an up and down 2016 rookie year, initially starting off at fifth on the team’s depth chart, bouncing up and down at various points during the season.  He played 13 games, starting 6, and made 42 tackles, including 32 solo.   In 2017, Fuller served as the starting nickelback, playing in all 16 games, starting 6, and made 55 tackles, including 43 solo, and 4 interceptions.  Fuller’s trade to Kansas City was finalized shortly after the conclusion of the 2017 season.

Kansas City Chiefs

Things did not go as planned in Kansas City for Fuller in his two years with the team, and most Chiefs observers viewed his time there as disappointing.  He was initially handed the #1 corner role and held the job for most of 2018 but did not perform well enough to keep his position on a long-term basis.  The Chiefs moved him around, first to the slot and later even to safety in an attempt to find him a home that maximized his effectiveness.  Last season, another former Redskin, Bashaud Breeland, passed Fuller on the depth chart, and the Chiefs re-signed Breeland for 2020 while letting Fuller walk.  Many film analysts felt that Fuller’s highest and best use actually came as a free safety, which he played in the 2020 Super Bowl.  That having been said, Kansas City obviously had a much better defense last year than did Washington and won the Super Bowl, so it may not be a totally fair comparison, but the fact of the matter is that Breeland – who was also good player in DC – ultimately proved to be a better outside corner than did Fuller.  As a result of his time in Kansas City, it’s fair to question whether the big contract the Redskins gave Fuller was a wise move.

The future

Fuller’s contract with the Redskins is 4 years and a total of $40M, with $13.5M guaranteed at signing and a total of $23.5M guaranteed.  The contract included a $12.5M signing bonus, and his 2020 base salary of $1M was guaranteed at signing.  The trick for the Redskins is that his 2021 base salary of $10M becomes fully guaranteed on the third day of the 2021 league year.  Once that happens, that will raise his dead money up to the point that he’s not cuttable until 2022.  So, practically speaking, the team is married to Fuller for 2 years with the only possibility of divorce coming immediately after the 2020 season.  His cap hit for 2020 is relatively small, just $4.125M, but it jumps up to $13.125M in 2021.  After that, though, the team will be able to cut him at a savings.  His contract is large, but it isn’t at the top of the corner market – it’s ranked 11th in total dollars, 18th in guaranteed money at signing, 15th in average annual value, and 16th in percentage of cap by average annual value.

This means that the Redskins view Fuller as a good player, but not as a big-time, #1 corner who needs to make Pro Bowls and All Pro Teams in order for the contract to be worthwhile.  The team expects him to be a leader, for sure, but they didn’t give him a deal that requires him to perform at such a high level.  Simply put, it’s a big but not insane contract.

Given that background and what Fuller showed with the Chiefs, what are the Redskins going to do with him?  First, the entire corner depth chart is unsettled.  Fabian Moreau and Ronald Darby are both on one year contracts.  Conventional wisdom suggests that they are probably the #1 and #2 corners in 2020, given Fuller’s struggles on the outside in Kansas City. However, there’s no reason to think that Fuller won’t at least be given a chance to prove himself since he’s signed for 3 more years that either Moreau or Darby.  Having a starting boundary corner locked up for 4 years could add immense value to the franchise.

But that seems unlikely, doesn’t it?  After all, the Super Bowl champs had a big need in this area in 2018 but still moved Fuller around, brought in his replacement, and eventually let him go.  Truly, the most logical place for him is in the slot, and I don’t view Jimmy Moreland and Greg Stroman as much of a reason not to give him the job, even though both have some talent; after all, both of those players were back of the draft picks by the prior regime, so it won’t take much for the new team leadership to let one or both go.

Fuller might also be a hedge against Sean Davis at free safety.  Davis has been inconsistent his entire career and is working on a one year “prove it” deal.  Sure, in an ideal world, Davis performs well and earns the starting free safety role and at least two of Moreau, Darby, and Fuller also earn starting jobs, but there’s no guarantee of any of it.  Head coach Ron Rivera might have felt more comfortable giving Fuller a “big but not huge” contract because he knows he also might be able to get value out of Fuller at safety if necessary.

Having said all of that, what’s my best guess?  I don’t think Fuller is going to make it as a fairly highly-paid outside corner, but he might be good enough to nail down the slot role.

What do you think?  Let me know in the comment section.