The Denver Broncos have signed former Chicago Bears cornerback Kyle Fuller to a one-year deal that is set to pay him $9.5 million.
The move comes almost immediately after the Bears released Fuller, which shouldn’t be too surprising as Denver’s interest in the corner was well-known before Fuller was even released.
Fuller’s release was first rumored two days ago, and soon after 850KOA’s Benjamin Allbright reported that the Broncos would be heavily interested in Fuller. Unfortunately, the interest from the Broncos — as well as interest from the Chargers, Falcons, and Colts — led to Chicago dragging its feet on the release and looking for a trade instead.
Two days later, that trade didn’t materialize, so they released Fuller, and the Broncos won the bidding war.
The signing nearly completes a rebuild of the secondary, which now has the Broncos’ cornerback room looking like a strength, when it was the team’s most glaring weakness this time last week.
Kyle Fuller was an All-Pro cornerback the last time he played in Vic Fangio’s scheme, so the upside should be tantalizing.
Bryce Callahan was the NFL’s best nickel cornerback last year. He ranked first among all corners with at least 500 snaps in yards allowed in total yardage allowed, yards per snap allowed, yards after catch allowed, and passer rating allowed when targeted. He’s also the only cornerback with at least 500 snaps who didn’t allow a touchdown last season.
Ronald Darby is a health risk, but when available he’s consistently been an above-average cornerback. This past season with Washington, he managed to stay healthy the entire season and was a key component of on the league’s few elite defenses.
Darby is a very talented cornerback, but the addition of Fuller allows the Broncos to use him as their No. 3 corner, when his ability is that of a strong No. 2.