The working relationship between the Denver Broncos and Kyle Fuller is off to a rocky start. The team signed the former Pro-Bowl cornerback to a one-year, $9.5 million deal this offseason.
But as I have already detailed, the Broncos should strongly consider moving Kyle Fuller before the November 2 trade deadline. If the Broncos continue to lose games or if Fuller continues to play poorly between now and then (or a combination of those two) then the idea to move Fuller should only get stronger.
If the Broncos were to make Fuller available, several teams could be interested. If the Broncos are able to get back on the winning track, they could decide to lean more on the veteran Fuller if a playoff push is in sight. But to this point, Fuller has not played well and with only a one-year deal, he may not be with the team next season anyway.
It’s surprising to see Fuller struggle. He is a perfect fit for Vic Fangio’s defensive scheme and he has played at a high level in the league. At 29 years old, he should still have plenty of good football left and could just need to acclimate to Denver a little better.
But if a team gets on the phone with George Paton and offers the right return before November 2, a deal could be struck. Here are four teams who could be interested in Fuller along with an idea of what the Broncos might be able to get in return.
Trade with Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins have strong corners in Xavien Howard and Byron Jones. Adding Fuller to the mix could give them a stout secondary but they are also 1-4 and could be looking to deal several players around the deadline.
Preston Williams has had some success in Miami and could be a nice addition to the Denver receiving corps. The Broncos still need more help at that position and adding a piece such as Williams could make some sense plus in this scenario, they also get a draft pick.
If this ends up being a throw-away season for the Dolphins, trading for Fuller wouldn’t be a move with this season in mind but they would try to talk him into returning to Brian Flores’ system next season with a contract that extends beyond one season.
Trade with Buffalo Bills
If you watched Sunday Night Football this past week, you know that the Buffalo Bills are a Super Bowl contender. So to increase their championship odds, the team adds the veteran Fuller under this scenario.
The team already has Tre’Davious White on one side of the field and adding a guy like Fuller to fill the other side or even play in the nickel could make the Bills even more dangerous.
But the Bills won’t want to give up a wide receiver such as Cole Beasley or Gabriel Davis either as they will see them as necessary for a championship run. Instead, the Broncos force them to pay up with a fourth-round pick in the 2022 draft.
The Broncos would only make this deal if they were to lose the game this Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders and then drop the following contest to the Cleveland Browns and possibly the game on Halloween against the Washington Football Team.
That would leave them at 3-5 with five straight losses and that could certainly make them sellers at the deadline. A team like the Bills, who figures to be there toward the end this season, would be ready to swoop in and pick over the ruins in Denver.
Trade with Seattle Seahawks
Even with star quarterback Russell Wilson scheduled to miss an extended period of time, the Seattle Seahawks are not a team that is going to wave the white towel. They are also a team that is usually willing to do some wheeling and dealing.
The Seahawks will attempt to rally around Geno Smith and adding some defensive help could help the team to develop an identity where it wins ugly, or in other words, keeps teams from putting too many points and having Smith manage and control the game.
With the starting cornerbacks in Seattle being Sidney Jones and D.J. Reed, they could use an upgrade. As a result, a guy like Fuller makes sense.
The Seahawks are another team that won’t want to part with any of their wide receivers as they only have four on their 53-man roster to begin with, so in this scenario, the Broncos would be looking for a top day three draft pick as well.
In this scenario, the Broncos would be sending Fuller to the other conference so the chance of seeing Fuller later in the season would also be slim. However, the Seahawks may want to get Fuller off the Denver roster even if the Broncos were contending.
The Broncos would need to be winning in spite of bad play from Fuller in order to make this deal happen, which could take place with Ronald Darby hopefully returning to the lineup soon.
Trade with Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in obvious need of defensive backs after watching Sean Murphy-Bunting and Carlton Davis go on injured reserve. Jamel Dean has also been hobbled and this forced the Bucs to go out and sign Richard Sherman.
Adding a player such as Fuller makes plenty of sense as the Bucs will be willing to do what it takes to get back to another Super Bowl. As a result, the Broncos talk them out of a future draft pick and a promising young wide receiver.
Tyler Johnson had a lot of intrigue surrounding him when he came out of Minnesota in 2020. He ranks first in school history in career receiving yardage and touchdown catches and he is second all-time in receptions.
But his career has gotten off to a slow start in Tampa Bay.
Tom Brady has a lot of mouths to feed with Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Antonio Brown and Rob Gronkowski. As a result, the Bucs could see it as worth it to move on from Johnson in order to get a veteran cornerback in the fold for the Super Bowl run.
The Broncos could then add Johnson to the receiving mix and turn him into a legitimate No. 3 option behind Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy.
If the Broncos could make something like this work, particularly if Fuller is still struggling, it would be a good move for both sides.