The Detroit Lions announced their presence as a contender in the NFC during the 2023 season. They ran away with the NFC North title and advanced to the NFC Championship Game where they were upended by the San Francisco 49ers.
The Lions were certainly game enough to hang with the 49ers, as one or two breaks could have sent them to Super Bowl 58 to play against the Kansas City Chiefs. Detroit blew a 17-point lead in the game as the aggressive style of head coach Dan Campbell that helped them get to that point came back to bite them.
Heading into the 2024 offseason, Campbell and general manager Brad Holmes will be looking to shore up some weaknesses on the roster. In the opinion of many people, those weaknesses are on the defensive side of the ball.
NFL News & Rumors: Kendall Fuller, 2024 NFL Free Agency, Washington Commanders, Detroit Lions Updates
The Lions were arguably the worst defense in the NFL in the 2022 season. They improved in 2023 but were still below average in most categories. For the team to take that next step and remain contenders, they need to continue showing improvements on defense.
One area specifically that could use some more help is the secondary. The Lions revamped their cornerback and safety depth chart last offseason, signing Cam Sutton, Emmanuel Moseley and C.J. Gardner-Johnson.
Moseley played in one game before getting injured again and Gardner-Johnson missed significant time with a pectoral injury. Sutton did appear in every game during the season, but it takes more than one player to turn around a unit.
Luckily for the Lions, there are some solid cornerbacks the team could target in free agency this year. One of those players is Kendall Fuller, who has spent the last four seasons with the Washington Commanders. Matt Bowen of ESPN believes that the Lions are the best team fit for Fuller in free agency.
“The Lions allowed 247.4 passing yards per game last season, sixth most in the league. But bringing in a perimeter corner like Fuller could boost the whole profile of the Detroit secondary. With 16 career interceptions (10 in his past four years with Washington) and the savvy technique to play both man and zone, Fuller is a good fit for Aaron Glenn’s system,” wrote Bowen.
NFL News & Rumors: Kendall Fuller, 2024 NFL Free Agency, Washington Commanders, Detroit Lions Updates
Fuller, who is entering his ninth season in the NFL, just turned 29 earlier in February. Still in the prime of his career, he would be a great addition to a Lions’ secondary in need of reinforcements.
He has been playing some of the best football of his career in recent years, recording a PFF grade of at least 76.6 in three out of the last four seasons. The only season out of the last four he failed to reach that grade was the COVID-19-impacted 2020 campaign.
The 2016 third-round pick also brings championship experience with him. Fuller was on the Chiefs team that won the Super Bowl in the 2019 season. That experience is invaluable for a team that was made up of players who were mostly making their postseason debuts a few weeks ago.
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