With the 2025 NFL trade deadline approaching, teams like the Kansas City Chiefs have avenues to bolster rosters that are already built for contention. Many want general manager Brett Veach to make an addition or two in the near future.
Could the opposite ring true, though? One insider isn’t ruling it out.
In an October 29 story, the ESPN crew dove into a trade deadline primer. For the Chiefs, beat writer Nate Taylor listed a polarizing name under the “who could be on the move?” section of the article.
Insider Lists CB Kristian Fulton as Potential Chiefs Trade Deadline Subject
Cornerback Kristian Fulton made the cut, and not in a good way. Taylor hints at the veteran stopper being expendable if Kansas City wants to deal from a position of depth.
“The Chiefs signed Fulton to a two-year deal in free agency, putting him alongside Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson,” Taylor wrote. “But because of a knee injury in training camp, Fulton hasn’t played much and was a healthy scratch in Week 7. Rookie Nohl Williams has leaped over Fulton on the depth chart.”
In the same story, Taylor’s ESPN colleague Jeremy Fowler noted the Chiefs’ “cornerback depth could earn interest.” That makes it no surprise that Fulton, who hasn’t made the impact originally expected, could fit under that umbrella.
Fulton, who signed with the reigning AFC champions during the offseason, has played in just two games thus far. Logging 17 defensive snaps through eight weeks isn’t what anyone had in mind when he joined the organization.
Now on the other side of his knee ailment, as well as an ankle injury suffered in-season, Fulton has been a healthy scratch as of late. Speaking to the media prior to Week 8’s win over the Washington Commanders, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo emphasized Fulton’s need to remain prepared.
“We’ll see where it goes,” Spagnuolo said. “I talk to [him] usually weekly, about ‘be ready’ because, you know, inevitably in this league, you’re going to need more than two or three, sometimes even four corners.”
Simply put, the Fulton-Chiefs marriage isn’t working out. Whether there’s a light at the end of the tunnel remains to be seen.
Breaking Down Kansas City’s Secondary Picture for Week 9 & Beyond
Fortunately for Kansas City, they have plenty of talent at the cornerback spot. Fulton not being available or effective hasn’t sunk the team’s ship in the secondary.
At the top of the depth chart, Trent McDuffie is one of the very best in the sport. A year removed from a second-team All-Pro berth, he has 35 tackles and 6 passes broken up in eight games. He also has an interception and a career-low 70.1 passer rating surrendered in coverage. McDuffie is thriving for the Chiefs, operating both on the boundary and in the slot.
Jaylen Watson, who worked his way back from injury last year, is back where he left off before getting hurt in the first place. He has 34 tackles and a pick, as well as 4 pass breakups. The former seventh-round pick has a 72.5 passer rating in coverage which, like McDuffie, is the best of his NFL tenure.
The rise of Nohl Williams is the main reason why Fulton isn’t needed at the moment. The third-rounder has 104 snaps under his belt, allowing 8 catches on 16 targets but all for 46 yards in coverage. Among all corners with 50+ coverage snaps this year, his Pro Football Focus coverage grade of 86.4 leads the pack. Williams is a physical, sticky outside corner who affords McDuffie the ability to shift inside the pre-snap alignment.
Don’t forget about supporting pieces like Kevin Knowles and Chris Roland-Wallace, either. They’re versatile enough to roam around the secondary from safety to corner. Joshua Williams has years of experience playing in Spagnuolo’s system, as does Nazeeh Johnson, who opened the year on injured reserve.
Of course, the ideal situation is Fulton finding a productive role with the Chiefs. That seems like far from a lock, however, with the deadline approaching.
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