When the Kansas City Chiefs first signed Kristian Fulton in the spring, the free-agent move was heralded as an important one for a contending team's present and future. Six months later, is it possible that Fulton is on the trade block out of K.C. before the NFL's November 4 trade deadline?
Viewed through the right lens, the writing is on the wall for Fulton—or at least some sort of move at cornerback—as the Chiefs look to reshape the roster while it can (at least through the trade market).
Why the Chiefs signed Kristian Fulton in the first place
Fulton was originally signed to a two-year, $20 million deal in free agency. He was a friendly face to the Chiefs after starting 15 games for the rival Los Angeles Chargers a year ago, and his presence was important for two primary reasons.
In the short term, Fulton provided the Chiefs with an above-average starter outside in a secondary that's struggled to stay healthy. Not only was Fulton himself expected to provide a reliable performer for Steve Spagnuolo's pass defense, but his arrival would allow the rest of the team's defensive backs to thrive in areas for which they're best suited.
For example, Trent McDuffie would be a key consideration in any argument for the league's best slot defender. Unfortunately, injuries (Jaylen Watson) or inconsistency (Joshua Williams, Nazeeh Johnson) kept McDuffie on the outside more than hoped. Having McDuffie inside allows Chamarri Conner to stay in safety mode—and so on.
Beyond the '25 season, Fulton's deal was structured as a sort of bridge from one era to the next. The Chiefs have known that they were facing significant free-agent losses in the secondary after this season with Williams, Watson, Johnson, and safety Bryan Cook scheduled to hit the open market. The Chiefs have a fifth-year option with McDuffie—who should also be on this list—but beyond that, the cupboard was bare.
Keeping Fulton around allowed K.C. more security to deal with potential losses and more leverage in case they wanted to negotiate to keep any of those players from leaving.
Why Kristian Fulton might be on the trade block
It feels important to note that this is all conjecture—anyone outside of Arrowhead is reading the tea leaves. That said, something has been disproportional with Fulton for quite some time.
Fulton's career with the Chiefs thus far—through Week 7 of his first regular season—has featured very little in the way of on-field impact, or even opportunity. Fulton sat for the summer on the team's Physically Unable to Play (PUP) list for nearly all of training camp. That lack of availability allowed others to pass him on the depth chart.
Even into the regular season, Fulton was sidelined by an ankle injury in the second game of the season, a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Fulton would remain on the injury report as a limited participant in practice and questionable designation in Weeks 4 and 5. However, in Week 6, Fulton was completely healthy and listed as a full participant in practice against the Detroit Lions.
Instead of joining the Chiefs' defense, Fulton has been a healthy scratch for two consecutive weeks now. The development of Nohl Williams, the team's third-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, has kept the team from feeling the pinch with Fulton's inability to play. However, given Fulton's experience, talent, and cost, it still doesn't make sense to keep him inactive on game days.
A move before a move?
What makes things even more interesting is that the Chiefs just added yet another cornerback to the roster with the promotion of Kevin Knowles to the active roster. Knowles certainly deserves such a spot after a strong training camp and preseason with K.C., one in which he was praised multiple times by coaches for his special teams instincts.
Here's the catch: Knowles is filling the spot of Omarr Norman-Lott, a rookie defensive tackle who hit injured reserve this week after suffering a torn ACL against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 7. The Chiefs were already thin at defensive tackle, yet they failed to promote one of the three DTs they have on the practice squad in order to make room for Knowles, a defensive back who is now listed among a full, healthy, and effective secondary.
That seems to signal a move before a move. Chiefs general manager Brett Veach was already reportedly checking around the NFL for defensive line help before losing Norman-Lott. The need there is also pretty immediate.
All of these dots, when connected, point toward a potential move of a cornerback for help at another position. Knowles in now in place to fill someone's spot. The one standing on the outside of it all is Fulton, and that's been the case for a few weeks. Perhaps it's Joshua Williams, although his contract is a wrinkle to be ironed out. Either way, the Chiefs have at least signaled a move and it's possible that it involves a player whose entire tenure in Kansas City has raised questions.