A few many years, 104 NFL begins and two Pro Bowl picks in the past, Kyle Fuller was only a child who’d excitedly attend Ravens preseason video games after youth soccer apply. A Baltimore native in a football-focused household, Fuller was a Ravens fan as he grew up and excelled at Mount Saint Joseph.
He went on to start out 4 years at Virginia Tech and was a 2014 first-round decide within the NFL draft by the Chicago Bears, the place he was named a Pro Bowl choice in 2018 and 2019 earlier than signing with the Denver Broncos forward of the 2021 season.
In May, the 30-year previous cornerback with 19 profession interceptions signed a one-year take care of the Ravens.
“It feels good, just to be back home,” Fuller mentioned after Wednesday’s coaching camp apply.
Fuller was simply 7 years previous when his eldest brother, Vincent Jr., excelled for Woodlawn earlier than attending Virginia Tech and finally taking part in seven seasons within the NFL, primarily with the Tennessee Titans. Fuller remembers watching his brother play at M&T Bank Stadium.
Fuller’s second-oldest brother, Corey, performed within the NFL as a large receiver and now works as a scout for the Carolina Panthers. His youthful brother, Kendall, is a star cornerback for the Washington Commanders.
Each of the 4 Fuller brothers performed soccer for Virginia Tech.
“Every one of them have been just a delight to have in the program,” former Hokies coach Frank Beamer mentioned in 2013.
When the youngest Fuller made his professional debut in 2016, the household turned the second ever to have 4 brothers play within the NFL. The first was the Browners (Ross, Jim, Joey and Keith).
Two of Fuller’s brothers, Kendall and Vincent, who’s now an legal professional, reside in Washington and Fuller mentioned he hopes they’ll all get collectively quickly. That household reunion may come Aug. 27 when Kendall visits M&T Bank Stadium as a member of the Commanders for a preseason recreation.
In 2018, Kyle Fuller led the NFL in interceptions and cross deflections, incomes his first of successive Pro Bowl nods. But in 2021, he struggled at instances with the Broncos and noticed much less taking part in time than he had in earlier years.
“In your career, you’ll have years where it doesn’t really go — it’s not necessarily bad, you just learn from it,” Fuller mentioned. “Sure, it probably wasn’t one of my best years, but that’s okay. Learn from that and move forward.”
When requested about Fuller’s coaching camp, defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald highlighted his expertise.
“He’s been in a lot of systems, some similar to ours, so he provides a lot of good feedback in that regard,” Macdonald mentioned. “It’s great to bounce ideas off of him and make sure he sees things the same way, and sometimes he doesn’t, so sometimes we’ll tweak something because maybe there’s a better way to do it, so he provides that.”
Fuller noticed extra snaps final 12 months as slot cornerback than he had in earlier seasons and mentioned he expects to be moved round this season.
To date, the 4 Fuller brothers have mixed to play 301 profession video games, and Kyle leads the Baltimore household in what is going to now be his ninth NFL season.
“I’ve been through a lot, learned a lot, experienced a lot, and I feel like it’s helped me be the person I am, player I am,” he mentioned, “and I just want to build on it and continue to get better, help out guys, and become the best player I can be, and person.”
Fuller has performed at M&T Bank Stadium as a visiting participant and he practiced there Saturday, however he’s by no means performed a recreation in a Ravens uniform. That’s the second he expects taking part in for the hometown staff to sink in.
“I think that’s when it’ll actually hit me,” he mentioned.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com