Kendall Fuller is back on the open market and there are reasons to believe he might be just what the Chiefs could use in 2025.
There was a time when Kendall Fuller was the best secondary in the Kansas City Chiefs secondary. While several seasons have passed since his two-year tenure with the team, it turns out the question of a potential reunion is once again a consideration for the team's front office.
The Miami Dolphins' front office has its work cut out for it this offseason after paying through the nose for its league-best wide receiver tandem of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Cap constraints are going to force the Dolphins into several difficult decisions, and on Friday, they made some early moves to clear cap space with the release of tight end Durham Smythe and cornerback Kendall Fuller.
That means Fuller is now a free agent one year into a planned two-year arrangement with the Dolphins, giving other teams the chance to add the veteran to the mix for the 2025 season.
Fuller's history with the Chiefs
Kendall Fuller was a key piece of the Chiefs' trade with Washington back in 2018 when they dealt starting quarterback Alex Smith for a third-round pick and the young corner. Fuller had two more seasons left on his rookie deal, giving Kansas City a cost-controlled young asset to serve as a cornerstone in a rebuilt secondary.
As the Chiefs switched from Bob Sutton to Steve Spagnuolo as defensive coordinator, Fuller's presence gave them a promising young talent to plan around in pass coverage, and he served them well as the defensive backfield underwent a massive transformation anchored by Tyrann Mathieu's arrival and Marcus Peters' exit.
Fuller earned rave reviews from Spagnuolo coming in as a slot corner in his prime, but the Chiefs would also lean on Fuller outside from time to time. In his final season in K.C., Fuller would help the Chiefs earn their first championship in 50 years with key plays in Super Bowl LIV, including an interception of Jimmy Garoppolo to ice the game in the final minutes.
Fuller leaves K.C. for big money
The Chiefs wouldn't be able to hold onto Fuller that next offseason after the expiration of his rookie deal with so many other financial commitments. Fuller would land a four-year, $40 million deal to return to the team that drafted him, and in a rare development, he would actually play out the entirety of that deal through the 2023 season.
Last offseason, Fuller found another multi-year deal with the Miami Dolphins—a two-year, $15 million deal with nearly $8M guaranteed. The Fins, however, would decide to cut costs and take on over $5 million in dead cap space in order to save another $3 million on the cap. As we said, tough decisions.
The downside of Fuller as a free agent
It's interesting to see how Fuller turned into a boundary-only option for the Dolphins after being utilized in the slot so heavily early in his career. At this point, it's easy for fans to wonder what Fuller has left as he's gotten older, but it's equally important to ask about the way he's been deployed on the field.
A knee injury and concussion concerns limited Fuller to only 11 games with the Dolphins last season. He also just turned 30-years-old and it's common for corners to hit the wall quickly when the skill set declines just enough. Those are going to be issues for any team looking to potentially add Fuller going forward.
Pro Football Focus confirms the drop in performance in Fuller's game this season with his worst overall defense (66.2) and specific coverage grades (62.4) since his rookie campaign back in 2016.
Why the Chiefs would be interested
There are a few reasons why the Chiefs might want to toss the idea of a reunion with Fuller around the room at Arrowhead.
Fuller was already getting cheaper on the open market last season and now he's an aging corner coming off his worst season with some injury concerns. All of that spells a modest one-year deal for sure, which should keep the Chiefs financially in play—maybe something loaded with incentives for playing time.
For the Chiefs, here's the upside play. Pro Football Focus also graded Fuller as one of the 7 most effective corners in 2023 with an overall grade of 83.1. He missed only two tackles all season for the Commanders and he did so while lining out wide for nearly 1,000 snaps in Washington.
Is it possible the Dolphins were a poor fit? Did Fuller really hit the wall that hard? Fuller wouldn't be the first corner to fall off the cliff after several seasons in the NFL, but this sort of bounce-back play on a one-year deal with a known quantity is exactly the kind of potential addition that could work well for the Chiefs —with a history of playing on the boundary and inside.
The Chiefs are bringing back a load of young talent in the secondary with Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson as obvious starters in contract seasons. Joshua Williams and Nazeeh Johnson and Chamarri Conner are also returnees who will factor into the team's plans. It also makes sense for further competition to be added via the draft with four of those guys hitting free agency next spring.
But there's also room here for a veteran who could rebound at a higher level and help the Chiefs avoid any depth concerns with an injury. The Chiefs rolled the dice this past season and watched the mercurial play of Johnson and Williams leave them frustrated at times.
A one-year roll of the dice on a veteran like Fuller could be the sort of move to make th
