Kristian Fulton is standing farther outside than what the Kansas City Chiefs originally had intended.
The veteran corner signed a two-year deal in free agency with the Chiefs last spring to man an outside corner spot opposite Jaylen Watson. On paper, Fulton's presence was supposed to allow star corner Trent McDuffie to drop inside more often than not, giving them a core trio in the secondary on which to build their depth.
As it turns out, Fulton is too far out, waiting on the sidelines week after week to show what he can do after missing considerable time on the mend.
The Chiefs are still leaning on Watson and McDuffie to anchor the secondary, but rookie corner Nohl Williams has joined the pack as a steady presence. When shown the brass ring, Williams grabbed it in the wake of Fulton's injuries and seized for himself a trusted role in Steve Spagnuolo's defense.
Steve Spagnuolo did his best to explain why Kristian Fulton is on the outside looking in for the Chiefs.
Williams' readiness for the NFL is thrilling to watch for Chiefs fans, but questions have circled Fulton as a healthy scratch over the last two weeks. It made sense when he was listed as a limited participant in practice while dealing with a nagging ankle injury, but as he's healed up, Fulton still hasn't found his way onto the field over the last two games.
Spagnuolo, the Chiefs' defensive coordinator, took questions from reporters on Friday and was asked about Fulton's plight. Spags admitted that it's been a "hard thing for Kristian" but he also intimated that health was still a bit of a concern along with familiarization.
"I think he’s getting there, health-wise, but now you’ve lost all the practice time and all the reps. Nohl has gone in there and done a really nice job. We’ll see where it goes," said Spagnuolo.
Spags explained that Fulton's lack of playing time doesn't reduce his usefulness for the defense. The celebrated coordinator has been around the block more than once, and realizes that depth in the secondary is going to be tested over a long season.
"I talk to him usually weekly about 'be ready' because inevitably in this league, you’re going to need more than two or three or sometimes even four corners. We’re going to need them all, so at some point, we’ll need him."
Fulton landed a two-year deal worth up to $20 million in free agency after starting 14 games with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2024. He had 51 tackles, 7 passes defended, and interception last year, while playing nearly 80 percent of all snaps (79). That he has only 17 total snaps in 2 games played coming into Week 8 is surprising for all parties involved.
The good news is that Spagnuolo made it clear Fulton is doing what he must to stay "ready", as instructed. And it's helpful for the Chiefs over the long term that Williams is getting the sort of experience that he is.
"[Fulton] is working hard at it. It’s just that, especially with where we’re going with practices now, we just can’t get that volume of reps for a guy, so we’re sticking with where we’re at right now," said Spagnuolo.