New Dolphins cornerback Fuller draws praise from peers. And the Howard/Fuller comparison

Chatter on new Dolphins cornerback Kendall Fuller:

The signing has met with universal praise, at least among those with a national forum who have offered a comment.

NFL Pro Bowl eight-time Pro Bowl cornerback Patrick Peterson, appearing on NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football,” said: “Kendall is one of those guys I watched play. He’a savvy vet, knows how to find the ball, knows how to read those routes, especially late in games.

“They try to run those little hitches on him; he finds a way to break those up every time. He’s looking to team up with Jalen Ramsey. [That] will be another nice defensive cornerback duo.”

Then there was this from NFL Network’s Jason McCourty, the former NFL safety: “The Commanders defense last year, trash. That does not represent Kendall Fuller. This guy can cover people up, whether it’s zone or man. He makes plays on the ball.”

Fuller’s two-year, $16.5 million deal was viewed as good value by multiple evaluators.

Pro Football Focus assessed it this way: “This is a remarkably good value for Miami, even considering Fuller’s age. The ninth-year pro has played over 1,000 snaps in three straight seasons and is just a few months older than Chidobe Awuzie, who signed a three-year, $36 million deal with the Tennessee Titans after tearing his ACL in 2022. Fuller is a versatile defensive back who has experience playing all over the secondary, as well.”

ESPN draft analyst Matt Miller, in his role assessing some free agent signings, also gave the move positive marks:

“Fuller will be given a chance to start opposite Jalen Ramsey at outside corner, with Kader Kohou locked in as the team’s starting nickelback. That’s an ideal fit for Fuller from a scheme perspective, as he only took 26 snaps at slot cornerback in 15 games last season. Corner was a big need in Miami, and Fuller allows a contending Dolphins team to roll out veterans at each of the three starting positions next season while giving them flexibility to draft a young outside cornerback prospect in April.

“Financially, paying a little more than $8 million per year on average is a solid deal for a starting-level cornerback. Fuller would rank as the fourth highest paid cornerback on the open market — slotting behind Chidobe Awuzie, Kenny Moore II and Sean Murphy-Bunting — while edging out Darious Williams, who signed with the Los Angeles Rams for an average of $7.5 million per year.

“All in all, this is a good move by Miami. Fuller is a scheme and alignment fit. The money fits with his ability and experience. And most importantly, the defending AFC East champions fill a core need on the roster without feeling pressured to use their first-round pick (No. 21 overall) on the position.

▪ Former Commanders defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio said, early in Fuller’s Washington tenure, that Fuller’s versatility isn’t normal and there are very few players who can play multiple spots at a high level like he does: “He’s a good football player.”

THE HOWARD/FULLER METRICS

Fuller is the heavy, heavy favorite to replace Xavien Howard as Miami’s starting cornerback opposite Ramsey. Here’s how the metrics compare for Fuller and Howard the past two seasons, per PFF’s numbers:

▪ Fuller in 2022: An 84.5 passer rating against; 40 completions in 72 targets for 604 yards, which is 15.1 per reception; four touchdowns allowed and three interceptions. (He returned two of those interceptions for touchdowns, off Davis Mills and Dak Prescott.)

▪ Howard in 2022: A 114.6 passer rating against; 58 completions in 87 targets for 910 yards, which is 15.7 yards per reception; six touchdowns allowed and two interceptions.

▪ Fuller in 2023: A 101.9 passer rating in his coverage area; 49 completions in 73 targets for 488 yards, which is 10.0 per catch; six touchdowns allowed and two interceptions. He started the first 15 games last season and missed the final two due to knee soreness.

▪ Howard in 2023: An 86.7 passer rating in his coverage area; with 44 completions in 71 targets for 502 yards, which is an 11.4 average per reception; two touchdowns allowed and one interception. He missed five games last season due to injuries, playing Miami’s playoff loss in Kansas City.

Bottom line: Fuller was the much better player in 2022.

Last season, they allowed comparable numbers in receptions, targets and yards.

Fuller allowed fewer yards per catch, but Fuller permitted four more touchdowns than Howard, which accounts for the 15-point disparity in their passer rating.

And PFF gave Fuller a much higher grade last season (seventh among all cornerbacks) than Howard (who was 98th) because his coverage was tighter (according to their tracking) and he was far better against the run in PFF’s evaluation.

“Fuller is an absolute steal for the Dolphins,” PFF’s Ryan Smith said.

“He was our seventh-ranked corner in the league last year (83.1 grade) and has ranked among the top-15 cornerbacks in each of the last three seasons (while playing 1,000+ snaps each year). My favorite move of free agency thus far.”

Keep in mind that Fuller will be 29 next season; Howard turns 31 in July. Fuller is coming off a four-year, $40 million deal with Washington.

THIS AND THAT

▪ Another positive with Fuller: He has allowed fewer than 30 yards passing in a game 18 times since 2022, as PFF noted.

▪ Even though Fuller allowed too many touchdowns the past two seasons (10 combined, per PFF), he’s generally staying close to his man in coverage.

Per Next Gen Stats, Fuller forced a tight window on 48.0 percent of his targets in man coverage last season. That’s fourth-best in the NFL among cornerbacks who faced at least 20 targets.

Miami’s cornerbacks had a tight window rate of just 20 percent in man coverage last season, which tied for ninth lowest in the NFL.

▪ Fuller’s three older brothers, Vincent, Corey and Kyle, all played college football at Virginia Tech and in the NFL as well.