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Kendall Fuller's Role in 2020


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What do we think Fuller's role will be on this defense?  He's so versatile that it's hard to say exactly.  But I found this PFF article late last night as I was going down the rabbit hole on Fuller’s 2018 season. Thought it was interesting because it goes against the narrative I think most of us have heard - that Fuller wasn’t successful when lined up at outside CB in KC:

Quote

Despite his struggles from the slot in 2018, Fuller shined in coverage when he was given the opportunity to cover out wide. The third-year cornerback registered 103 coverage snaps from an outside corner position, and out of the 101 players who saw at least 100 coverage snaps out wide, he ranked first with a 90.7 coverage grade. He ranked first among that group by holding opposing quarterbacks to just a 35.3% completion percentage when targeted as a wide corner and both of his interceptions came when playing out wide.

https://www.pff.com/news/pro-the-chiefs-needs-slot-cornerback-kendall-fuller-back-to-his-best-in-2019

I don't think KC ever fully explored having Fuller play outside CB.  In 2018, he played mostly nickel CB (70% of snaps).  Then in 2019, he played mostly nickel and free safety.

Why not try Fuller on the outside and see how he performs?  Albeit it was a small sample size, but he was the best CB in the league when lined up outside in 2018.  I doubt he'd be some massive failure there if moved to a full-time role.  

The only problem is, that would leave us without a true nickel CB.  Moreland, Moreau and Darby are all better on the outside.  Which is why I would sign Logan Ryan and have him play in the slot.  Best case: we'd have a very good outside CB in Fuller locked up for 4 years on a steal of a deal.  Worst case: we just move him back to the slot where we know he can be elite.

But, at the very least they should start Fuller on the outside in base formation and move him to the slot in Nickel and Dime.

My fear is that they'll pigeon-hole him into a full-time nickel CB role without even trying him on the outside, which means he'd be off the field for at least 35% of defensive snaps.  I think this would be a massive mistake.  

Thoughts?

 

Edited by HTTRDynasty
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Good question.  Personally I would play him at Slot/Nickel and nothing else.  I absolutely think they should pigeon hole him.  Let him focus on a role that he plays well.  Everyone seems to value outside corners more, but it is very hard to find a good inside corner.   I don't think he would be off the field as much as you suggest.  

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He’s going to start on the outside, and may stay there. I heard today that the staff wants to develop Moreland to be the slot corner, we’ll see how that goes.

My thought process before hearing what I heard today was that Fuller & Darby would start on the outside and on 3rd downs Moreau would replace Fuller on the outside while Fuller would slide to the slot.

I guess well, see what happens. There definitely seems to be a couple of different options with his versatility.

As for Logan Ryan I also heard this morning on the radio he wants$10 million-plus a year and that's why he and the Titans haven't agreed to an extension. So, much like Clowney at DE/OLB, Logan Ryan is pricing his market too high. Maybe that benefits us if he goes unsigned for another month or two, but I really do think the staff wants to see what Moreland and Moreau can do rather than spending another $10 million on a corner. 

Edited by turtle28
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33 minutes ago, turtle28 said:

He’s going to start on the outside, and may stay there.

I hope so.  I guess that depends on how reliable Grant's "sources" are.

 

38 minutes ago, offbyone said:

Good question.  Personally I would play him at Slot/Nickel and nothing else.  I absolutely think they should pigeon hole him.  Let him focus on a role that he plays well.  Everyone seems to value outside corners more, but it is very hard to find a good inside corner.   I don't think he would be off the field as much as you suggest.  

I don't have the 2019 stat, but the Redskins were in Base formation ~30% in 2018.  That's 30% of snaps our best CB would be off the field.  That makes no sense to me.  And you can bet teams will take advantage of that on 1st and 10.

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2 hours ago, HTTRDynasty said:

I hope so.  I guess that depends on how reliable Grant's "sources" are.

 

I don't have the 2019 stat, but the Redskins were in Base formation ~30% in 2018.  That's 30% of snaps our best CB would be off the field.  That makes no sense to me.  And you can bet teams will take advantage of that on 1st and 10.

Grant was kind of all over the place in that tweet. It was typical Grant tweet, say a lot w/o saying anything definitive. I give Grant credit, he’s a wordsmith. No matter what he says or writes, it sounds good even if you’re not really sure what exactly he’s saying.

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4 hours ago, HTTRDynasty said:

I hope so.  I guess that depends on how reliable Grant's "sources" are.

 

I don't have the 2019 stat, but the Redskins were in Base formation ~30% in 2018.  That's 30% of snaps our best CB would be off the field.  That makes no sense to me.  And you can bet teams will take advantage of that on 1st and 10.

Wait...when will Moreland be off the field in those formations?  :)

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19 hours ago, Thaiphoon said:

Wait...when will Moreland be off the field in those formations?  :)

My greatest hope is that Moreland, Moreau and Stroman have good seasons! I want nothing more than for that to happen and then we won't have to worry about signing a vet FA who we hope will be good but won't know for sure.

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On 5/6/2020 at 2:38 PM, offbyone said:

Good question.  Personally I would play him at Slot/Nickel and nothing else.  I absolutely think they should pigeon hole him.  Let him focus on a role that he plays well.  Everyone seems to value outside corners more, but it is very hard to find a good inside corner.   I don't think he would be off the field as much as you suggest.  

Teams are now giving out big money to slot corners now in FA because of how often they are being used.  I expect the Redskins will move him around based on matchups- he is their best corner, so having him play a mix of both would be ideal.  Maybe even use him as a safety in some packages.  He's versatile- which is what Rivera wants.  If Moreau can take the step forward and Darby is healthy and contributing, then I think Fuller's role is much more defined.  

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Fuller and Collins should be the biggest impact players on the back end. But I could see Jimmy Mo also being that guy. We might be a bit undersized outside but we have guys that know how to jump infront of balls thrown a tad early due to pressure.

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