One of the more under the radar free agent signings the Kansas City Chiefs made during the offseason was cornerback Kristian Fulton.

It was an important one, though, as the Chiefs needed a boost to their secondary. Unfortunately, Fulton had cleanup surgery on his knee, which cost him almost all of training camp and preseason.

He was able to play in the preseason finale, but is still being eased back in. During Kansas City’s Week 1 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Friday, Fulton played just 15 snaps. While speaking to the media on Monday, coach Andy Reid hinted that Fulton’s workload will increase, but it will be a process.

Chiefs need Fulton to play significant snaps sooner rather than later

K.C.’s secondary struggled all night long against the Chargers’ passing attack, allowing 318 yards and three touchdowns to quarterback Justin Herbert. One of the reasons the Chiefs signed Fulton was so they could use star CB Trent McDuffie in the slot more often.

Until Fulton can handle a full workload, McDuffie will only play sparingly in the slot, with the main role going to third year safety/CB hybrid Chamarri Conner. As he did most of last season, Conner struggled mightily in Week 1.

Fulton is a former second-round draft pick out of LSU in 2021 by the Tennessee Titans. He’s appeared in 57 career NFL games with 51 starts over five seasons. During that span, he has recorded five interceptions and 32 passes defended, along with a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, nine tackles for loss, and a sack.

Fulton had a bit of a resurgent season in 2024 with the Chargers after a pedestrian final two seasons in Tennessee. If he can carry that momentum into defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s system, it would go a long way in curing some of the early woes we’ve seen in K.C.’s secondary.