The Washington Redskins were able to right a past wrong this offseason by bringing back cornerback Kendall Fuller in free agency. The Redskins drafted Fuller out of college in 2016 and watched as he settled into his role on an NFL defense. Two years later, they traded him to the Kansas City Chiefs in a package deal that would net them QB Alex Smith.
But now, Fuller is back home and happy about it. There were a number of factors in his decision to return to D.C., but chief among them was his confidence in new coach Ron Rivera, and the obvious blueprint of what Washington was building going forward.
“You hear so many things about coach Rivera and the coaching staff there. Just their relationship with the players and seeing how they develop guys and understanding how the corners they had [in Carolina] coming in,” Fuller said, via The Athletic.
It wasn’t just the coaching staff, though. The current build of the roster was something that appealed greatly to Fuller, especially when it came to the youth and talent on the defense.
“The young core players that they have there on offense and defensive side of the ball. When you’re a DB, and you’re looking at the front seven, you know how important that is for you and your success,” Fuller said. “Looking at the front seven that they have up there, what they’re trying to build and be a part of. Once they called, and my agent talked to me, I couldn’t wait to jump on it.”
Going into this offseason, the front seven was relatively sound, but it had some holes in it, along with the rest of the defensive depth chart. The Redskins were left with question marks at linebacker and free safety, and the cornerback room had been depleted so much that several of the players listed high on the depth chart had spent most of 2019 on the practice squad, or as a free agent. The Redskins did well to fix that, though. They added a few stout tacklers in the middle, including former Carolina Panther Thomas Davis, and they made a couple of big signings in the secondary. Outside of adding Fuller, Washington also signed FS Sean Davis and CB Ronald Darby. What was once a highly-suspect secondary now is solid at the worst, and extremely proficient at the best.
Now Fuller is back home where he wants to be, and he has the prospect of playing on a young and hungry team that is obviously building towards a bright future, should everything go right. He’s coming off of a Super Bowl victory with the Chiefs, and the parade that came with it. Now he’s ready for more.
“It was fun; it was fun,” he said. “We’ve got to get one to D.C.”
