Tag: Kyle Fuller

Ravens HC John Harbaugh gives injury updates on OT Ja’Wuan James, CB Kyle Fuller

Ravens head coach John Harbaugh gave injury updates on offensive tackle Ja’Wuan James and cornerback Kyle Fuller

The Baltimore Ravens were able to come out of Week 1 of the 2022 season with an impressive 24-9 win over the New York Jets. The team has plenty to be excited about, especially the fact that they were able to overcome a slow and sloppy first half to dominate in all three phases over the remainder of the game.

Despite the win, Baltimore didn’t come out of the game unscathed. They lost offensive tackle Ja’Wuan James in the second quarter, then saw cornerback Kyle Fuller leave the game late in the fourth quarter with an ailment of his own. The injuries didn’t look good, and after the contest head coach John Harbaugh gave an update on both players.

“..[Ja’Wuan] James has a torn Achilles; it’s the same one. It’s a little bit of a different tear; it’s off the bone. It’s not the one that is mid-tendon. So, he’s determined, and he says he’s in a way better place than he was last time, and he’s determined to come back in time. [Kyle] Fuller, we don’t know for sure. We’ll see tomorrow with the MRI with him. We have some reason for hope there.”

It’s an extremely tough break for James, who worked extremely hard to get back on the field in Week 1 after having injuries be a major storyline in his career. He was filling in for the recovering Ronnie Stanley, and if the All-Pro isn’t ready to go then Patrick Mekari will likely fill in until he’s ready.

Fuller’s injury looked serious initially, but Harbaugh expressed a bit of hope in the cornerback returning to action. If the veteran misses any extended amount of time, it’s possible that the team could look to the free agent market for an outside addition.

Ravens CB Kyle Fuller shares feelings about returning to Baltimore

Ravens cornerback Kyle Fuller talks about what it’s like being back in Baltimore

The Baltimore Ravens signed cornerback Baltimore native Kyle Fuller during the 2021 offseason to a one-year contract. The deal comes after the Baltimore secondary was hit hard with injuries during the 2021 season, including multiple players at the cornerback position.

After practice, Fuller spoke to the media and was asked what it feels like being back in Baltimore. He said it feels good, especially being able to be back where he started everything when he was a kid. He also was asked how big of a Ravens fan he was growing up, and said that he was a pretty big one due to the fact that everyone from Baltimore is a big fan.

“It feels good, just to be back home. Doing it where I started when I was a kid. It feels good…I think that everyone from Baltimore is a huge Ravens fan. So, I was pretty big.”

Having depth in the secondary is crucial for Ravens’ defense. Fuller should be able to provide a solid veteran presence while being able to play both on the inside and on the outside, versatility that should be extremely valuable to Baltimore.

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Ravens’ secondary ranked as top unit in NFL by Pro Football Focus

The Ravens’ secondary was ranked highly by Pro Football Focus

The Baltimore Ravens dealt with a plethora of injuries in 2021 that hurt the team’s chances of making a postseason appearance. They lost players like J.K. Dobbins, Gus Edwards and Marcus Peters before the season started, as well as Marlon Humphrey, Lamar Jackson and more during the year.

Michael Renner of Pro Football Focus detailed his 2022 NFL secondary rankings, and he put Baltimore’s unit at No. 1 despite being one of the worst units in the league last year. Renner credited four of the five starters in the secondary with having top-10 grades at their positions, and that’s without factoring in rookie safety Kyle Hamilton.

“There are a lot of complete secondaries around the NFL, making the Tier 1 rankings a toss-up in a number of ways. The Ravens simultaneously have some of the most question marks heading into 2022 from a health perspective while also possessing the highest-end elite potential. Four of their five starters have earned top-10 grades at their respective positions at some point over the past four seasons. And this list doesn’t even include rookie first-rounder Kyle Hamilton, who will undoubtedly factor in heavily.”

Baltimore has plenty of talent in the secondary that includes cornerbacks Marlon Humphrey, Marcus Peters and Kyle Fuller, as well as Hamilton, Chuck Clark and Marcus Williams at safety.. If the group can stay healthy in 2022, it may be one many opposing quarterbacks will fear to play week in and week out.

Bleacher Report names Ravens player who could disappoint in 2022

Bleacher Report named one player on the Ravens who could underperform during the 2022 NFL season

The Baltimore Ravens have had a busy 2022 offseason following the 2021 NFL season. The team added veteran players at multiple different positions in free agency, while also having one of the better drafts throughout all of the league. However, it remains to be seen how each of Baltimore’s new contributors will perform.

In an article published by Maurice Moton of Bleacher Report, he named one player from every NFL team who could disappoint in 2022. The player Moton picked for the Ravens was safety Kyle Hamilton, who was the No. 14 overall pick in the draft and regarded as a phenomenal value selection.

Moton believes it will be tough for Baltimore to find a role for Hamilton this upcoming season since the team already has established players in the secondary who can cover multiple areas on the field.

“The Ravens have two proven starters at safety in Chuck Clark and Marcus Williams, who just signed a five-year, $70 million deal. They can experiment with Hamilton and use him in the slot following the release of Tavon Young, but cornerback Marlon Humphrey may move inside if Marcus Peters and Kyle Fuller line up on the boundary in nickel alignments.”

Baltimore does have a lot of depth at the safety and cornerback positions, but as the team has learned in the past, you can never have too much depth. Moton also said that Hamilton could be a rotational player if the team has injuries in the secondary or decides to keep safety Chuck Clark, who has been rumored to be in trade discussions.

“Barring injuries at safety or a trade that involves Clark, Hamilton could be a rotational slot defender in the big nickel formation and the sixth defensive back in dime packages, which would give the 14th overall pick few opportunities to make an impact in his rookie year.”

Regardless of what Baltimore does this season, Hamilton is expected by many to have a big workload. The Ravens got a steal when the safety fell to them at No. 14 overall in the draft and they will certainly look to take advantage of his incredible skillset.

Ravens pass game coordinator and secondary coach Chris Hewitt reveals why team wanted to add CB Kyle Fuller

Ravens pass game coordinator and secondary coach Chris Hewitt talked about why the team wanted to add cornerback Kyle Fuller

The Baltimore Ravens made a solid late-offseason addition by signing cornerback Kyle Fuller to a one-year contract. The veteran has a plethora of valuable NFL experience under his belt, and should be able to provide quality depth behind fellow cornerbacks Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters.

After the second day of mandatory minicamp, Baltimore pass game coordinator and secondary coach Chris Hewitt was asked about the reasons why the team wanted to add Fuller to the mix. Hewitt talked about the need for a veteran corner, and the fact that he thought Fuller was the best available player that was left at his position.

“I just think that we needed a veteran corner. With our corner problems that we had last year, you could never have too many good corners and he was available … And I thought that he was the best available guy that was left. He’s going to be a great veteran presence to help us going forward, and I think that the guy has a lot more play left in his body.”

Fuller can play both on the inside or on the outside, which is extremely important to a team like the Ravens. Baltimore values positional versatility in a big way, and Fuller can provide depth at multiple different positions while also being able to step up in the event of an unforeseen injury.

Grading the Ravens’ signing of CB Kyle Fuller

We grade the Ravens’ signing of cornerback Kyle Fuller

The Baltimore Ravens have added plenty of talent to their secondary over the course of the 2022 offseason. They first signed safety Marcus Williams to a five-year, $70 million contract, then drafted safety Kyle Hamilton as well as cornerbacks Jalyn Armour-Davis and Damarion Williams in the 2022 draft. However, after losing cornerback depth throughout free agency such as Anthony Averett, Tavon Young and Chris Westry, there were question marks as to whether the team had enough experience at the position behind Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters.

Baltimore ended up signing Kyle Fuller to a one-year deal worth $2.5 million. He provides a very solid veteran option at the position that has positional versatility, something that the Ravens value quite a bit out of their players. Fuller can play both inside and outside, which is very valuable considering that both Humphrey and Peters are coming off of season-ending injuries in 2021.

Fuller was selected at No. 14 overall out of Virginia Tech by the Chicago Bears in 2014. He’s been extremely durable over the course of his eight-year career, although he did miss the entirety of the 2016 season after undergoing a knee scope before the year began. Outside of that he’s missed just one game in seven seasons.

During his time in the NFL, Fuller has accumulated 441 total tackles, 19 interceptions and four forced fumbles. He’s also made two Pro Bowls and has one First-Team All-Pro selection to his name. He’s a very accomplished player, one that should be able to teach what he’s learned from his years as a professional with his new teammates.

All in all, Fuller gives the Ravens a reliable cornerback who can fill in at multiple positions. While he admittedly struggled in Denver during the 2021 season with the Broncos, he has the potential to bounce back in first-year defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald’s system. He’s a low-risk, high-reward signing that feels like it could pay off in a big way.

Grade: A

Reported details of contract for Ravens CB Kyle Fuller released

The details for the contract of Ravens CB Kyle Fuller were released

The Baltimore Ravens signed cornerback Kyle Fuller to a one-year deal last week. He provides the team with a veteran presence that can play both inside and outside, which is extremely valuable for a team that suffered many different injuries in their secondary last year.

Fuller officially signed his deal with Baltimore on Tuesday and his jersey number was announced on Wednesday. Also announced were the details of his contract, which Field Yates of ESPN reported as a $2.5 million deal with a base salary of $1.12 million to go along with a $1.38 million signing bonus.

Ravens announce official jersey number of CB Kyle Fuller

The Ravens announced the official jersey number of cornerback Kyle Fuller

The Baltimore Ravens made a splash in free agency when it was announced the they signed former Chicago Bears and Denver Broncos cornerback Kyle Fuller. Baltimore needed experienced depth at the position, and the signing of Fuller was a big move that could be the final piece of the Ravens’ revamped secondary

Fuller has worn No. 23 during the entirety of his NFL career. However, that number was taken by safety Tony Jefferson II in April after the departure of cornerback Anthony Averett. On Wednesday, Baltimore officially announced what number Fuller would be wearing in the purple in black, switching to a number in the teens with No. 18.

The Ravens have has a few players wear No. 18 for the team during their 26 years as an NFL franchise such as quarterback Elvis Grbac as well as wide receivers Curtis Brown, Jeremy Maclin, Breshad Perriman and Danté Stallworth. Fuller is able to wear No. 18 as a cornerback due to the league easing jersey number restrictions of many positions a few years ago.

Ravens waive undrafted rookie OT Aron Johnson

The Ravens waived undrafted rookie offensive tackle Aron Johnson

The Baltimore Ravens have made a lot of moves throughout the course of the 2022 offseason, bringing in talent through the draft as well as in free agency. However, when new players come into the organization, corresponding roster moves could happen depend on how many players are on the team at the time.

On Tuesday, Baltimore waived undrafted free agent offensive tackle Aron Johnson. Johnson was let go by the team to make roster space for corner Kyle Fuller, who officially signed with the Ravens on Tuesday. In other roster moves, the release of cornerback Kevin Toliver also became official.

Johnson signed with Baltimore as an undrafted free agent out of South Dakota State following the 2022 draft. He was in a very crowded offensive tackle room with the Ravens, and can now look to find his next NFL opportunity.

Ravens officially sign Kyle Fuller to contract

The Ravens officially signed cornerback Kyle Fuller to a contract

The Baltimore Ravens have reshaped their secondary over the course of the 2022 offseason. They let multiple members of their 2021 unit leave for other opportunities, but added other talent that represents upgrade both at the cornerback and safety positions.

One of those players is cornerback Kyle Fuller, who the team announced that they had agreed to terms with last week. However, on Tuesday Baltimore announced that they officially signed Fuller to his contract, leaving no doubts that he’s now a member of the Ravens.

The signing of Fuller provides Baltimore’s secondary with even more depth.  Fuller is the type of veteran presence that could help out with younger players, and while he struggled in 2021 he has the potential to bounce back in a big way during the 2022 season.

Fuller has been a rather durable player over the course of his career, which is something that will be extremely beneficial assuming he can play most, if not all, of the year. His addition is a solid one, and a move that many could look back on and say was one of the steals of the offseason once the 2022 season is complete.