The Kansas City Chiefs made a point of revamping their defense for next season. In fact, the Chiefs' first four draft picks were all used on the defensive side of the ball. It makes sense with Jaylen Watson and Trent McDuffie no longer in the building, forcing Steve Spagnuolo's secondary to go through a major overhaul.
McDuffie's departure would've likely been great news for Kristian Fulton had it been last season. This time, however, the Chiefs may not be as high on him as they were when they gave him a two-year, $20 million deal last offseason.
Fulton enters this season with a $13 million cap hit, $5 million of which would be saved and out right back into the Chiefs' pocket if he were to be cut, according to Spotrac. I'm sure Brett Veach would rather not give up on a player they invested a fair amount of money in after just one year, but in a crowded corner room with lots of young, ascending talent, the decision may be necessary.
Kristian Fulton is not guaranteed a spot on the Chiefs' 53-man roster
As pointed out by Bleacher Report's Moe Moton, the Chiefs will have strong competition in the cornerback room. As such, the injury-prone Fulton's days in Missouri could soon be coming to an end.
"Following an injury-riddled year with eight regular-season appearances, Kristian Fulton must compete for a starting job in the second term of his two-year deal," Moton wrote. "Fulton will likely battle 2025 third-rounder Nohl Williams for a spot on the boundary opposite rookie first-rounder Mansoor Delane. If the former loses, he could be cut before his age-28 campaign."
Fulton appeared sparingly in his first season with the Chiefs. He suited up for eight games, starting just two, and played just 208 defensive snaps. He logged a grand total of 16 total tackles (12 solo) and six passes defensed.
Despite the limited sample size, the numbers were actually decent. He gave up 10 completions on 18 targets (55.6 percent) for 144 yards and no touchdowns. The 14.4 yards per catch were far from ideal, but opposing quarterbacks had a passer rating of just 81.3 when targeting him.
That said, availability is the best of ability in this league. The Chiefs will give Mansoor Delane every chance to grow through his mistakes and be on the field, and as a young and promising guy, Nohl Williams should already be above Fulton in the pecking order as well.
The Chiefs are looking to get back to the mountaintop after the most disappointing campaign of the Patrick Mahomes era, and they can't afford to leave anything to chance. Just because Fulton is more experienced doesn't mean he's the right guy for the job, especially if Spags can't trust him to stay on the field.
Hopefully, this will only fuel the fire inside of him and bring out the best in him. Fulton has shown flashes of strong play, and as a 27-year-old former second-round pick, the Chiefs might still get something out of this disappointing signing. Otherwise, he'll be joining the unemployment line pretty soon.
Add us as a preferred source on Google