The Los Angeles Chargers may land the top remaining defensive back and former Tennessee Titan, Kristian Fulton after planning to visit the team for dinner this week. According to Ian Rapoport, Fulton will stick around for an extra day to meet the entire organization. This could indicate that the Chargers will get their hands on their new defensive back. He spent the first four seasons of his career with the Titans, recording 150 tackles, four interceptions and 25 passes defended.
His contract year did not go as planned with the Titans after suffering an injury, landing him on the IR. It imploded his market, but there are still teams interested in his services and he could be the next cornerback for the Chargers. There have been a bunch of changes this offseason with the team. Los Angeles recently lost Mike Williams to the New York Jets after signing a deal this week.
The cash-strapped team made some adjustments in their pass-rushing unit, restructuring the contracts of Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa. However, the cornerback situation is another hole they would need to address after losing starter Michael Davis to the Commanders. He leaves the team after seven years and 107 games. Asante Samuel Jr. and Ja’Sir Taylor remain the only corners in Los Angeles that are holding down the secondary now.
The Titans used Fulton as a 37-game starter from his tenure with the team, but he’s never played above 13 games in a year. Fulton missed 25 games in his rookie contract and needed a kickstart to his free-agency campaign. According to Pro Football Focus, they rated the LSU product as a bottom-10 corner last season after suffering another injury that same year.
Former #Titans FA CB Kristian Fulton, one of the top available at his position, is flying to Los Angeles on Wednesday to eat dinner with #Chargers brass, then visit with the team on Thursday, source said. pic.twitter.com/MnhyLv5JWn
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 19, 2024
Los Angeles Chargers May Land Top Remaining Defensive Back Kristian Fulton
Could His Track Record of Injuries Complicate His Signing?
Fulton’s injuries definitely have set him back, but his scheduling a meeting with the Chargers could work him back up as a starter. The fact that he had to schedule the meeting shows his market value has significantly gone down. However, when healthy, Fulton could provide numbers for a team’s defense that was struggling last season. He notched his 2021 season campaign with a 71.3% passer rating and 51.4% completion rate allowed as the closest defender that year.
The Chargers don’t have a lot of options either to fill the need at the position. They’re still recovering a massive cap hit after needing to release Mike Williams and trading Keenan Allen to the Bears. Los Angeles is also eating dead money from J.C. Jackson which includes Williams and Allen. The only implication about Fulton is that he never completed a regular season in the league yet.
However, the Chargers can’t spend too much on a defender either. Fulton could provide the high-risk low-reward scenario for the team until they figure out what they need to do at the position. If the Chargers sign him, it’ll likely be a one-deal until he can prove he could finish an entire season.
Other Cornerbacks Available
Fulton isn’t the only top cornerback available amongst other defensive back free agents. Stephon Gilmore is another name to watch as he explores to find another home for next season. However, it probably won’t be long until Gilmore finds a new team after rumors of a reunion in New England. Fulton is coming off his worst season, so adding Gilmore on a cheap one-year deal wouldn’t be a bad thing.
Xavien Howard is another potential player that the Chargers could consider. His market is seemingly going down as he hasn’t found a new team yet. So he could adjust to a one-year deal as well until Los Angeles finds their franchiser in the draft.
