Surprise Commander named as team’s most improved player by PFF

It’s tough to judge whether the Washington Commanders‘ 2021 season was a disappointment. On one hand, they finished with the same number of wins as the previous season despite making major additions in the offseason.

On the other hand, Washington played the toughest schedule in the NFL and lost their starting quarterback less than 30 minutes into the year.

It also didn’t help that a ton of key pieces, including Chase Young, Montez Sweat, Brandon Scherff, Chase Roullier, Landon Collins, William Jackson and Logan Thomas (among others), missed at least four games due to injury.

Despite all those hardships, though, there were positives to take away from the campaign. Off the top of my head, Jonathan Allen, Terry McLaurin, Antonio Gibson, Cole Holcomb, Kendall Fuller and Kam Curl were huge bright spots.

We’d also be remiss if we didn’t mention Charles Leno and Ereck Flowers, who brought consistency to an offensive line that was ravaged by injuries.

In other words, there were a ton of candidates for Pro Football Focus to choose from for Washington’s most improved player.

After much deliberation, Fuller got the nod.

Kendall Fuller was the Commanders’ most improved player in 2021, per Pro Football Focus.

According to PFF, Fuller’s player grade jumped from 66.7 last season to 81.5 this past campaign, marking a sizable 14.8 leap. Here’s what PFF senior analyst Anthony Treash had to say about Fuller’s turnaround in 2021.

"Fuller was moved to the outside in his return to Washington in 2020, and it was volatile to say the least. He allowed a career-high five touchdowns and earned his second-lowest PFF grade of his career.His second-year playing on the outside in 2021 went far better. He finished as the second-most valuable cornerback in the NFL and got better as the year went on. From Week 8 forward, he was the highest-graded corner in the NFL."

Commanders fans will be quick to note that Fuller started the season in the slot with rookie Benjamin St-Juste lined up as the other perimeter corner opposite Jackson. It was tough sledding for Fuller in that position, but after concussions forced St-Juste out of the lineup, Fuller kicked back outside and dominated.

To put context on Fuller’s lockdown coverage, his 81.5 player grade ranked third amongst cornerbacks.

Only Jalen Ramsey (84.4) and AJ Terrell (82.7) earned higher marks. That’s pretty impressive company for Fuller, as Ramsey was named a Pro Bowler and first-team All-Pro, while Terrell, maybe the league’s best kept secret at the CB position, made second-team All-Pro in just his second season.

Over 16 games, Fuller compiled 77 tackles and 16 passes defended, which ranked sixth among cornerbacks. He allowed just a 67% completion rate on 100 (!) targets, forced 14 incompletions and only missed seven tackles.

Speaking of missed tackles, Fuller’s 87.0 run defense grade ranked first at the position among corners who logged at least 500 defensive snaps. Unlike some lockdown CBs, Fuller is always willing to get his jersey dirty against the run.

There will be some discourse in regard to whether Holcomb deserved the most improved player title over Fuller. To the eye test, Holcomb might take the cake for some fans, but that takes nothing away from Fuller’s 2021.

The 27-year-old is fully deserving of this accolade.