Kristian Fulton‘s contract year did not go as he’d hoped. The season included a benching and an IR placement. That impeded the multiyear Titans starter on this year’s market, but interest is still there.
The Chargers are bringing in the former Mike Vrabel-era Titans second-rounder, with NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport indicating Fulton will meet with Bolts brass beginning Wednesday as part of a two-day meeting. The Chargers have made some major roster changes under Jim Harbaugh and Joe Hortiz, and they have some lineup openings as a result.
While the Bolts’ cornerback situation pales in comparison to what has happened at wide receiver, the team did lose starter Michael Davis to a Commanders deal. Asante Samuel Jr., whose stock has fluctuated during his rookie contract, joins Ja’Sir Taylor as holdover corners in Los Angeles. And the team will see how Fulton fits.
Fulton will not turn 26 until September, but while ex-Titans teammate Sean Murphy-Bunting collected $14.2MM guaranteed from the Cardinals on a three-year deal, Fulton has needed to schedule a meeting to kickstart his free agency. The Titans used Fulton as a 37-game starter from 2020-23, but he has never played more than 13 games in a season, missing 25 games over his rookie contract. Pro Football Focus graded the LSU alum as a bottom-10 corner last season, with another injury — a hamstring ailment — leading to a season-ending IR placement.
With the Titans having a new coaching staff in place, their new leader — Brian Callahan — brought in an ex-Bengals charge (Chidobe Awuzie) last week. Fulton fared better across the board 2021 and 2022, topping out in ’21 with a 71.3 passer rating and 51.4% completion rate allowed as the closest defender that year. His 2022 marks were in line with that number, though multiple injuries marred Fulton’s third year.
The Chargers are still eating dead money from the J.C. Jackson misstep; the since-traded cornerback is on the Bolts’ 2024 payroll at $20.8MM. The team will also eat $12.5MM from the Mike Williams cut and $11.6MM as as result of the Keenan Allen trade. No notable contracts are on the Bolts’ books at corner, however, so the team could benefit from a veteran coming in to work for new DC Jesse Minter.
Bolts are a mess. Nuf said.