Kristian Fulton has landed in an odd spot in Kansas City: still part of the Chiefs’ cornerback conversation, but not exactly in a secure one.
That tension showed up in Bill Barnwell’s ESPN “All-Backup” team, where Fulton was the lone Chiefs player to make the cut. Barnwell called him a player to gamble on, writing, “we’re going to take a flier on Fulton.” He pointed to Fulton’s strong work with the Los Angeles Chargers in Jesse Minter’s defense, while also noting that injuries hampered him last year in Kansas City.
Barnwell’s bigger point was just as blunt. Fulton, he wrote, “it never seemed that he persuaded defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo to give him more significant playing time.” That tracks with the way Fulton’s offseason has gone, since he was brought up more than once as a possible cap cut candidate early in the summer.
The Chiefs, though, are building a cornerback room that suddenly looks wide open and fiercely contested. Top draft pick Mansoor Delane is expected to be one starter if he gets past the shoulder injury he suffered before minicamp. Nohl Williams appears to have the inside track to the other starting job after a strong late-season audition.
Kansas City also added former Miami Dolphins starter Kader Kohou, who brings another layer of competition and depth. On top of that, the Chiefs are taking a “second time around” swing on L’Jarius Sneed, a player who was once a star before injuries and off-field incidents changed the picture around him.
It all adds up to one of the most interesting battles of training camp. The Chiefs traded Trent McDuffie to the Los Angeles Rams for draft capital, then let Jaylen Watson leave in free agency as he, too, became a Ram. Safety Bryan Cook also walked, leaving plenty of new faces in the mix.
The overhaul wasn’t random. Kansas City’s secondary struggled in coverage late last season when the pass rush faded, and Spagnuolo along with the Chiefs’ brass decided a talent reset was necessary. It’s a risky move, and it’s exactly why the competition at cornerback is so intense.
Fulton still has work to do just to stick on the roster. But if he doesn’t, there’s a good chance another team will be interested.
In Other News...
Andy Reid May Be Rethinking A Chiefs Tendency Fans Hate
A Pro Football Focus look at the Chiefs first-down tendencies offers a familiar reminder about how Andy Reid has been shaping the offense: when the down and distance are fresh, Kansas City has leaned hard into the run and into more traditional quarterback alignments. The Chiefs have also shown a different look on first down than they do later in series, lining up under center more often and using the shotgun in a way that stands out from the rest of their playbook.
For a team that has long lived on Patrick Mahomes ability to stress defenses in space, that kind of early-down balance is worth watching as the season unfolds. The bigger question is whether the Chiefs keep leaning into those opening-script runs and the heavier first-down structure, or whether the offense trims back some of the run-pass option work early while adjusting to what this version of the roster can and cannot do. [Read more 🡒]
Ex Chiefs Star Makes Bold Mahomes Debate Call That Fans Will Argue Over
A familiar quarterback debate has spilled back into the Mahomes conversation, and this one comes with a former Chiefs guard in the middle of it. Geoff Schwartz pushed back on ESPN analyst Ryan Clarks assertion that Lamar Jackson is the NFLs most accomplished quarterback outside of Patrick Mahomes, making the case that Aaron Rodgers still owns that spot on the strength of a resume that includes three MVP awards, a Super Bowl title and a Super Bowl MVP.
The argument is the kind that never really dies in NFL circles, especially when Rodgers remains a topic of weekly discussion even at this stage of his career. Colin Cowherd has also called Rodgers undervalued, and with Rodgers set for another season with the Pittsburgh Steelers under Mike McCarthy, the backdrop only adds another layer to a debate Chiefs fans know well: who, if anyone, is actually closest to Mahomes in the leagues quarterback hierarchy? [Read more 🡒]
Chiefs Fans Will Get A Kick Out Of Clark Hunt Here
A street-side interview outside MetLife Stadium during the World Cup final turned into a little crossover moment for Kansas City fans, with a Kalshi reporter asking attendees and notable figures how much they paid to get in. The answers ran the gamut, from people who shelled out eye-popping sums to others who were invited or said they did not pay at all, giving the clip a mix of sticker shock and big-event theater.
Then came Clark Hunt, the Chiefs chairman and CEO, who was among the suited figures caught up in the scene and made clear he was enjoying the spectacle. For Chiefs fans, it is the kind of cameo that lands with a grin, a reminder that Hunt can show up in some pretty unexpected places when a major sports moment is unfolding. [Read more 🡒]