ASHBURN — By the time the Washington Redskins were on the clock in the third round of the NFL draft last Friday, the temptation of adding Virginia Tech cornerback Kendall Fuller to the secondary was too strong for general manager Scot McCloughan and the organization to pass up.
There was uncertainty surrounding Fuller. He played in just three games last year, undergoing season-ending microfracture surgery on his right knee after he tore his meniscus in the preseason. Before that, though, Fuller was ticketed as a first-round talent, one that could significantly change the landscape of a team’s defensive backfield.
McCloughan is confident Fuller will return to the level he proved capable of playing at in 2014, when he was named a second-team All-American despite playing the majority of that year with a broken wrist. When McCloughan announced on Monday that the team released cornerback Chris Culliver, who was rehabilitating a torn ACL and MCL in his right knee, he cited the recent boosts to the secondary, primarily the addition of cornerback Josh Norman as well as Fuller.
The quality of play McCloughan expects to get from Norman and Fuller, combined with the fact the team saved $8 million by releasing Culliver, fueled the decision. By adding Norman and Fuller to a group that features third-year cornerback Bashaud Breeland, veteran Will Blackmon and Quinton Dunbar, who contributed at cornerback after a transition from wide receiver during training camp, McCloughan is confident in the personnel.
That’s why the Redskins will be careful not to rush Fuller back to the field, even though the he said he feels “100 percent.” Coach Jay Gruden said he expects Fuller to miss rookie minicamp. There is “a chance” he returns for organized team activities later in May and June. The likely scenario, it seems, is that Fuller will be out until training camp begins in early August.
“Any time you have a surgery, there’s something to it, especially at a skill position like that, with the knee, with movement and all that,” McCloughan said. “I trust my doctors. I trust the trainers. We passed him on the physical. He’s going to be OK. Now, 100 percent for sure? Who knows?
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“But, I felt good enough to know the kind of player he is, the kind of person he is, where he comes from family-wise, he’s going to do everything in his power to make sure he’s a football player for us. When you get to the third round, to get a corner that I think can be a starting corner is excellent.”
Dr. James Andrews, who is the Redskins’ team doctor, performed Fuller’s surgery. After declaring for the draft, the Baltimore native worked out at EXOS in Pensacola, Florida, which is near the Andrews Institute for Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine. Fuller worked closely with Andrews during his rehabilitation, which put him at ease when the Redskins selected him.
“I’m definitely glad that he’ll still be on the staff and I can still work with him and talk to him,” Fuller said. “He’s the best in the business.”
The Redskins also expect to get help in the backfield from second-round pick Su’a Cravens, a hybrid outside linebacker and safety from USC. Cravens is currently listed as a safety on the team roster, but is expected to contribute as a linebacker in sub-packages. When asked about him on Monday, McCloughan smiled at the mere mention of Cravens’ name and gushed about his versatility.
“The thing that’s really cool about him is the diversity he brings — safety, linebacker, maybe a nickel linebacker, maybe a nickel corner,” McCloughan said. “I mean, the guy is a really good football player, and again, I go back to it all the time — ’football player’ — but he’s smart. Day one he walked in the building [at USC], he started there. Played in a lot of big games and made a lot of big plays.”
• Anthony Gulizia can be reached at agulizia@washingtontimes.com.
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