6 free agents the Buccaneers can target after re-signing their core players
By Josh Hill
Kendall Fuller, CB
There are obvious areas the Bucs need to address this offseason, but cornerback sort of falls to the wayside against bigger needs like improving the offensive line. It’s a need that grew even bigger this week when the team traded starter Carlton Davis III to the Detroit Lions for a third round draft pick.
It’s likely that the Tampa Bay uses either that pick or one of the other four it has in the first three rounds to draft a replacement but turning to the free agent market makes sense. The fact that Kendall Fuller is still there makes it an even more intriguing option.
Last year with the Commanders Fuller was a bright spot on an otherwise terrible team. He graded out well, with PFF giving him a 81.6 and ranking him as the third-best cornerback hitting free agency this offseason.
Fuller is a top cornerback, which means he won’t come cheap. We’ve already seen some pricey deals handed out and Tampa Bay moved off Carlton Davis III to shed his $14 million contract. That being said, if the Bucs were to sign Fuller he’d be an instant upgrade at the position and worth the money spent.
His market value is around $13 million per season, and projects almost identically to what the Bucs gave Jamel Dean last season. A fair deal for Fuller could be in the neighborhood of four-year, $54 million which just slightly higher than what Dean got and feels like potentially better value.
Fuller would not only challenge Dean as the team’s top cornerback but would be an upgrade over Davis and a potential mentor to a top young rookie who comes in hungry to learn the ropes.