It's interesting how quickly a narrative can change. For Kristian Fulton, a late-season appearance for the Kansas City Chiefs might have reframed the outlook for a player that everyone, organization included, seemed to have written off.
For the last four months, Fulton has been stashed away as an inactive player on game days for the Chiefs, even after recovering fully from a preseason injury that robbed him of most of training camp (and working through a subsequent ankle injury suffered in Week 2). The assumption was that Fulton was not for long in K.C. after an unpredictable slide down the depth chart. After Week 17, however, Fulton's outlook has changed.
As the Chiefs hosted the Denver Broncos in the penultimate game of the regular season, they faced significant injuries in the secondary. Cornerback Trent McDuffie had already been placed on injured reserve with a hyperextended knee, which prematurely ended his season. Then came a groin injury for Jaylen Watson, which landed him on IR as well, coming into Week 17. Just like that, the Chiefs were down their top two corners.
Suddenly, Fulton was thrust into the lineup on the boundary opposite rookie corner Nohl Williams in a new look secondary. The patchwork effort held together surprisingly well against an AFC-leading Broncos roster, and Fulton's impressive performance was a major factor in keeping K.C. close until the end.
After the game, Andy Reid was asked about Fulton's effort, and the Chiefs head coach stated that he knew the veteran corner was capable of such things.
Kristian Fulton's Week 17 performance against the Denver Broncos is unraveling a narrative that looked pretty clear for 2026.
"I thought he played like he was healthy," said Reid. "They brought him in here knowing that he was a good football player, but he hadn't been able to stay healthy. So he was able to get himself in a position now where he's feeling better football-wise and get himself out there and play. But that's what he's capable of doing."
While Reid's comments sound positive, the truth is that the confidence still doesn't make much sense. While the Chiefs have plenty of talent at corner, there was a clear vision for and understanding of Fulton's abilities coming into the season, which is why the front office signed him to a two-year deal worth up to $20 million.
When he was sitting on the sidelines week after week, it made sense to assume Fulton would be an offseason cut for a team that needs to clear as much cap space as possible. Now, however, the Chiefs might be rethinking that idea—if they were ever so inclined. Watson, Joshua Williams, Nazeeh Johnson, and others are scheduled to hit free agency, which means the chance to retain Fulton into 2026 could allow K.C. to focus on other positions in the offseason.
That said, Fulton is rather pricey, with a $13 million cap hit coming his way. Then again, having a proven veteran only locked up for one more year would give the Chiefs serious flexibility to figure out how to handle McDuffie's long-term prospects and free agent departures. Williams is in place for 2026, and McDuffie will be around (unless traded, as some have surmised). Eric Scott, Melvin Smith, and Kevin Knowles are all younger corners who've stuck around as well with future potential.
Even if Fulton returns, the Chiefs are likely going to sign or draft one more dependable performer in order to round out the unit. A long season demands more depth than they have under contract, but the picture looks much rosier with Fulton on the books. Then again, it was only a week ago that Chiefs Kingdom would have assumed Fulton was on his way of Kansas City.
At the very least, the conversation has changed, which is, in itself, a significant development since the narrative felt so clear before Week 17. Perhaps Fulton will continue to shift perspectives with even more playing time against the Las Vegas Raiders in the Chiefs' season finale.