Fulton signing gives Chiefs' defense a much-needed boost

The Chiefs signed five-year veteran cornerback Kristian Fulton to a two-year deal, and it moves the needle for Spagnuolo's unit in more than one way.

With so many other glaring needs heading into the offseason, such as the running back, offensive line, defensive line and the linebacking corps, the defensive backfield sort of slid under the radar heading into the offseason. So far, the Chiefs have retained right guard Trey Smith and linebacker Nick Bolton, along with signing running back Elijah Mitchell and left tackle Jaylon Moore, taking care of most of the holes, sans the defensive line.

On day two of free agency, however, general manager Brett Veach made a savvy move bringing in cornerback Kristian Fulton. After coming in as a highly touted prospect in the 2020 NFL Draft, being part of that historic 2019 LSU championship team, the Tennessee Titans selected him with their second round pick. He finished out his rookie contract with ups and downs, which is how the Los Angeles Chargers were able to snag him on a one-year contract just north of $3 million last offseason.

Tuesday Fulton parlayed that into a reported two-year $20 million deal with the arch rival Kansas City Chiefs. Fulton earned it, too, putting together his best tape of his career in Jesse Minter’s defense. The former Charger was PFF’s 40th ranked out of 223 cornerbacks in the 2024 season.