Right around this time a year ago, the Kansas City Chiefs added some depth to the cornerback room by bringing in Kristian Fulton. While seemingly a solid-enough addition, many thought the organization overpaid, as the LSU alum received a two-year contract worth up to $20 million, with $15 million in guarantees.
Those who had such thoughts were proven right, as the Chiefs certainly didn't get their money's worth out of the 2020 second-rounder, who spent the first four years of his career with the Tennessee Titans and one season with the Los Angeles Chargers before making his way to the Chiefs.
In those first five years, Fulton had issues with both injuries and inconsistency, and those problems followed him to Kansas City.
Kristian Fulton had a rocky 2025 campaign for the Chiefs
At the risk of sounding a little harsh, when putting a letter grade on Fulton's 2025 season, I really have no choice but to give him a straight-out "F." Now, if his contract were half of what it actually is, perhaps he'd get at least a passing grade. But the amount of his deal undoubtedly has to be taken into account when looking at his campaign as a whole.
First and foremost, there's the fact that he only appeared in eight games, starting two of them, and only took 208 defensive snaps. And to make matters worse, all the games he missed weren't due to injury. Yes, the 27-year-old missed a few weeks after suffering an ankle injury in Week 2 against the Philadelphia Eagles, but he was also a healthy inactive on several occasions. Truth be told, he failed to take more than 20 defensive snaps in a single game until Week 16.
To his credit, Fulton only allowed eight receptions on 16 passes thrown in his direction. But he also allowed a career-worst 16.9 yards per catch. And his 34.8 PFF run-defense grade was the worst of his entire career, as was his 32.6 tackling mark after he missed a whopping 26.3 percent of his attempts in that regard.
Taking all aspects into account, Fulton ultimately earned a 61.6 overall grade. While his low snap count made him ineligible for the final list, he would have ranked 61st had he qualified. So, again, there wasn't a ton to get excited about.
But Fulton better figure things out this offseason, as the Chiefs may need him to play a much bigger role in 2026 after trading Trent McDuffie to the Los Angeles Rams and losing Jaylen Watson in free agency. Safety Bryan Cook signing with the Cincinnati Bengals certainly didn't help Kansas City's secondary problems.
Don't be surprised if the Chiefs use their No. 9 overall pick in next month's draft on a cornerback, possibly on another LSU standout in Monsoor Delane. And if Fulton doesn't end up figuring things out as the season progresses, also don't be surprised if Kansas City goes looking for a trade partner.