Any time the conversation came up, there was always that one person who would make the suggestion. “Doesn’t a Kyle Fuller safety move make so much sense?” Nobody took them seriously at the time for obvious reasons. The Chicago Bears were starved for capable cornerbacks and couldn’t afford to move their former first round pick from that position. Especially since he was starting to play well late in 2015.
Things have changed in the past year though. Fuller missed an entire season with a knee injury. In that span the Bears have added several new corners to the depth chart. This includes youngsters like Cre’Von LeBlanc and intriguing veterans like Prince Amukamara and Marcus Cooper. Suddenly the battle for a roster spot is looking dicey for Fuller.
After all he hasn’t played a meaningful snap in 14 months (and counting). It’s fear he may become yet another busted draft pick of the Phil Emery era. That is unless they do something to help him. One idea that’s gaining steam? You guessed it.
Kyle Fuller safety experiment
Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times was at the annual NFL owners meetings in Arizona. There some interesting information came out via GM Ryan Pace and the coaches. Apparently there are plans to do some jostling with the roster when offseason practices begin. Chief among them is considering a move of Fuller to the safety position.
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Kyle Fuller is a CB for now, though team has thought about him at safety.
— Patrick Finley (@patrickfinley) March 28, 2017
So why are people clamoring for this to happen? Keep in mind Fuller was drafted to be a corner in a 4-3 system under Mel Tucker. Typically that requires a very different skill set at the position. Namely keeping plays in front of them and playing downhill, limiting yards after the catch. Not so for 3-4 corners who are required to play man-to-man coverage. Something Fuller can do but isn’t excellent at.
Free safeties on the other hand are similar to zone corners in that they keep plays in front of them and wait for their opportunities to go for the turnovers. Fuller, in spite of his inconsistency, has shown repeatedly he can take the ball away.
By not forcing him to play with his back to the football, it’s theorized Fuller will player faster and with more confidence. He’s got the size and physicality to make switch successful. It comes down to whether the Bears coaches feel he can take on the added responsibilities of making adjustments like most safeties must. Can he communicate with enough authority? Everybody knows he’s somewhat withdrawn in terms of personality.
Either way the risk seems worth it. Fuller has all the tools required to become a successful safety. There are many stories of corners who underachieved making that transition and reinventing their careers. Bears fans don’t want to give up that hope for him. At last it appears the team is ready to present that opportunity.
If he ends up failing, nobody will be able to say they didn’t try to make it work. If nothing else it will be another fun story for training camp and preseason.
