The Ravens’ offseason project to boost high school may have secured the final piece of the puzzle on Tuesday as veteran linebacker Kyle Fuller agreed the terms of a one-year deal to return home to Baltimore.
Fuller, 30, helps round out a corner unit that needed more experience and depth. Fuller will now step in alongside starters Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters, while fourth-round rookie Galen Armor-Davis and Damarion Williams battle and develop alongside other younger cornerbacks. Fuller, Humphrey and Peters were all previous picks in the first round.
Fuller was one of the first All-Pro teams in 2018 when he led the league (a tie) with seven interceptions. He went to back-to-back Pro Bowls in 2018 and 2019. He’s a confirmed playmaker, with the former first-round pick having 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 rough start in Denver that landed him on the bench (he played four shots over three weeks), but bounced back to start five more games and played well. What was remarkable was how Fuller treated himself. Bronco asked him to play Nickel for the first time in his career and Fuller took over during the second half of the season.
In Baltimore, Fuller gives the Ravens more flexibility to use on the hatch or bump Humphrey inside to where he previously shined. Fuller is also valuable insurance with Peters and Humphrey returning from end-of-season injuries. He missed the entire 2016 season (the knee) but was sidelined in just one game in his seven-year career.
Fuller will now look to return to his Pro Bowl form in the place he called home. A native of Baltimore, he was a star in high school at Mount Saint Joseph and then went to Virginia Tech. The Bears ranked him 14th overall in 2014.
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