The Kansas City Chiefs' secondary will look quite different this fall. Losing trading cornerback Trent McDuffie to the L.A. Rams and watching Jaylen Watson join him via free agency was a big blow, leaving the door wide open for young guys like Nohl Williams to take a big leap next season.
With that in mind, Williams may not be the only one in the spotlight. Kristian Fulton's tenure with the Chiefs has been frustrating, to say the least. And now that he's on an expiring deal, it wouldn't be surprising if his time in Kansas City is running out.
Kristian Fulton Might Be on Borrowed Time with the Chiefs
Fulton was one of the Chiefs' more frustrating additions from last offseason. Injuries limited the veteran CB to eight appearances (two starts), playing a big role in why he failed to meet the expectations his two-year, $20 million contract brought to the table.
When healthy enough to play, the former Tennessee Titans gave up 10 catches on 18 targets, a respectable 55.6% catch rate. However, he allowed a whopping 14.4 yards per completion — the worst mark of his career so far — and 33 yards after the catch.
A late-season surge may have temporarily delayed a potential exit. Fulton held opposing quarterbacks to 2-of-10 passing for 34 yards in his final two games.
Pro Football Focus gave him a 61.6 overall grade last season, but he didn't play enough snaps to qualify for a ranking. Still, even in a small sample size, his missed-tackle rate of 26.3% is a concern. He also had a dreadful 34.6 run-defense grade and a 32.6 tackle grade.
That's why Kansas City can't ignore the possibility of a divorce. Although the Chiefs can simply wait for his contract to expire next March, they can also release Fulton at any point this offseason to create $5 million in savings, per Spotrac. If they can convince a team to trade for him, even better, as such a move would open $10 million in cap space.
The Chiefs need someone to step up now that McDuffie and Watson have taken their talents elsewhere. Williams will most likely get the bulk of the reps, but Fulton also has a golden opportunity to show that last season was just a fluke and that he's much better than he looked. He has to stay healthy, but given that he's never played a full season in his six years in the league, that sounds more like wishful thinking at this point.
That being said, the Chiefs have been ruthless with their secondary. They don't get attached. If they didn't hesitate to move on from the likes of L'Jarius Sneed, Tyrann Mathieu, and now McDuffie, it's hard to believe they will bat an eye at letting Kristian Fulton walk in 2027 free agency or maybe even before with a trade.