The 2022 NFL free agency period is right around the corner, allowing us one more chance to adjust our landing spot predictions, this time for free agent WR Will Fuller. Which NFL teams could benefit the most from acquiring Fuller in free agency, and who are the top three teams based on need and cap space?
Top predictions for free agent Will Fuller
When Fuller is on the field, he is one of the best receivers in the league. You could make a solid case for him to be inside the top 20. However, staying on the field is the problem, as he’s only played in an average of nine games per season.
Miami found this out the hard way in 2021. Signed to a one-year, $10.5 million contract last offseason, Fuller was expected to come in and be the No. 1 for Tua Tagovailoa and round out a solid pass-catching room containing DeVante Parker, Jaylen Waddle, and TE Mike Gesicki. Instead, Fuller played only 65 offensive snaps before a broken finger in Week 4 sidelined him for the rest of the season. In total, Fuller caught 4 of 8 targets for 26 yards.
As noted, when he’s on the field, Fuller is electric. In his five years with Houston, Fuller recorded 3,110 yards and 24 TDs on 209 receptions. When you consider this was in just 53 out of a possible 80 games, it paints a picture of high-level production mixed with lost opportunities.
Fuller has a chance to rebound in 2022 with a new franchise and will be one of the more intriguing free agent signings of the offseason at the wide receiver position. While it remains to be seen if he signs a one-year “prove-it” deal or a multi-year contract, whichever team lands Fuller in free agency will have gotten far more explosive in the process.
Philadelphia Eagles
Of the free agent predictions for Fuller listed here, the Eagles potentially make the most sense. There is no question they have a phenomenal receiver in DeVonta Smith. He was a virtual “can’t miss” prospect given his separation, route running, and ball-catching skills. Smith was a breath of fresh air, as the Eagles have repeatedly struggled to add a receiver. They’ve drafted the likes of Jalen Reagor and J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, both of whom have failed to live up to expectations.
The Eagles need a dynamic receiver who can play on the boundary and make the most of every target. For Jalen Hurts to succeed and for the Eagles to compete in the NFC East, he needs weapons with YAC capabilities. Fuller can bring that to the offense and be a much-needed impact player at receiver for the Eagles.
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are quietly building a competitive team and have the salary cap space to keep improving ($23.71 million). The defense is improving, and the offense has several impressive young pieces such as D’Andre Swift, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and T.J. Hockenson. St. Brown showed over his last five games — when Swift and Hockenson were injured — that he could be an alpha on the field. From Weeks 12 through 18, St. Brown totaled 71 targets, the fifth-most in the NFL.
St. Brown is a prototypical slot receiver who works phenomenally well over the middle and relishes contact. However, he’s not a vertical threat, and the Lions still need to find an X receiver after re-signing Josh Reynolds to a two-year contract. Fuller could benefit from being the No. 1 again and re-establish his value with the Lions. As a team predicted to be in the free agent market for a receiver, the Lions would do well to add Fuller.
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears have a lot of work to do this offseason. After the trade of Khalil Mack to the Chargers, it appears they’re ready to shake things up in their franchise. One place we expect change to occur is at the receiver position.
Allen Robinson is expected to sign elsewhere, leaving the Bears with $36.87 million in cap space and a gaping hole in their offense. While Robinson did struggle last season (38 receptions, 410 yards, 1 TD), he averaged a 100-1,198-6.5 line over the previous two years. This is far more indicative of the type of player Robinson truly is.
The Bears got a massive steal in Darnell Mooney after selecting him in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL Draft. However, if Chicago wants Justin Fields to progress, he needs more than just Mooney at receiver. Also, Mooney was at his best when in the Z rather than the X.
Signing Fuller in free agency would be a cost-effective way to not only get better as an organization but to give Fields a field-stretching option and place Mooney in a more natural position on the field.
Green Bay Packers
The Packers certainly do not have a ton of salary cap space at their disposal (-$43.73 million). However, we do expect this to be shifted as contracts are renegotiated. In the process, several receiver decisions must be made. For one, Davante Adams has informed the Packers he will not play on the franchise tag. He remains steadfast in wanting a new long-term contract. Given his production, it’s near impossible to say he does not deserve it.
Adams is not the only uncertainty. Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Allen Lazard, Equanimeous St. Brown, Malik Taylor, and TE Robert Tonyan are all pending free agents. There was no reason for Aaron Rodgers to come back only to have his receiver room decimated.
Assuming a long-term deal can be worked out with Adams, adding Fuller in free agency could be a substantial upgrade. He would assume the vertical threat of MVS while bringing a far more polished route tree.
Fuller has already proven he can thrive as a No. 2, as he did in Houston alongside DeAndre Hopkins. He’s been linked to the Packers for multiple years. 2022 could be the season where the free agent signing predictions come true for Fuller.