The Ravens' offseason project of boosting the secondary has secured the final piece to the puzzle as veteran cornerback Kyle Fuller has signed a one-year deal to return home to Baltimore. Fuller agreed to terms last Tuesday and put pen to paper a week later.
Fuller, 30, rounds out a cornerback unit that needed more experience and depth. Fuller will now step in alongside starters Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters, while rookie fourth-round picks Jalyn Armour-Davis and Damarion Williams compete and develop along with other younger cornerbacks. Fuller, Humphrey and Peters are all former first-round picks.
"He's a proven corner. He knows how to play the game, fits what we're trying to do right now in the secondary really well," Head Coach John Harbaugh said of Fuller. "I think his veteran presence is going to add a lot to our defense.
"I think it finished off our secondary, in terms of … Never say never, but for now, I feel really good about that group back there – I mean, really good, about the secondary, personnel-wise."
Fuller was a first-team All-Pro in 2018 when he led the league (tied) with seven interceptions. He went to back-to-back Pro Bowls in 2018 and 2019. He's a proven playmaker, as the former first-round pick had 19 interceptions in his six seasons in Chicago.
He signed a one-year, $9.5 million deal with the Denver Broncos last season and started 10 of 16 games.
Fuller got off to a tough start in Denver that led to him being benched (he played four snaps over a three-week span), but he rebounded to start five more games and played well. What was notable is how Fuller handled himself. The Broncos asked him to play nickel for the first time in his career and Fuller took it on over the second half of the season.
In Baltimore, Fuller gives the Ravens more flexibility to either use him in the slot or bump Humphrey inside to where he has shined previously. Fuller is also valuable insurance with Peters and Humphrey coming back from season-ending injuries. Fuller missed all of the 2016 season (knee) but has otherwise been sidelined for just one game in his eight-year career.
Now Fuller will look to return to his Pro Bowl form in the place he called home. A Baltimore native, he was a high school star at Mount Saint Joseph who then went to Virginia Tech. The Bears drafted him 14th overall in 2014.
