The Kansas City Chiefs are no strangers to finding bargains in free agency and it appears that they might be onto something with their recent signing of Kristian Fulton. Dan Pizzuta of The 33rd Team recently wrote an article about the most underrated free-agent signings and Fulton made an appearance on the list.
"Defensive backs got paid this offseason. Jaycee Horn was extended at the top of the market and then beaten out by Derek Stingley’s extension. Meanwhile, the top corners in free agency now round out the top 12 of average annual value at the position with deals ranging from $16-$18 million per year.
Because of that, teams taking some shots further down the market could work out for some teams. The Kansas City Chiefs signed Kristian Fulton for two years and $20 million with $15 million guaranteed. That’s a decent swing for a player who has shown upside throughout his career."
Fulton, a second-round pick by the Titans in the 2020 draft, looked to be a promising addition to Tennessee's secondary before injuries got in the way. Fulton played out his contract there before signing a one-year "prove it" deal with the Chargers where he played in 15 games and finished the year with a 71.1 PFF grade.
Kristian Fulton named one of the most underrated free-agent signings
Pizzuta also pointed out that with Justin Reid's departure, signing Fulton could lead to the Chiefs kicking Trent McDuffie into the slot more often.
"McDuffie was a stronger slot corner in 2023 than he was outside in 2024, and moving him inside more often with Fulton on one side would allow the Chiefs to get the most out of Jaylen Watson, Joshua Williams, and Nazeeh Johnson on the other side."
The hope here is that Fulton can stay healthy during his Kansas City stint but it's hard not to like this signing overall. Fulton brings depth to Steve Spagnuolo's defense and without Reid, who was an important piece on the defensive side of the ball for this team, a bit of a drop-off could be expected. If Fulton plays as well as he did in Los Angeles, this could be one of the best free-agent signings of the year.
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