Titans corner Kristian Fulton having a disastrous start to his contract year
NASHVILLE — Tennessee Titans (1-2) corner Kristian Fulton is the last player remaining on the team's roster from its 2020 draft class. The former second-round pick will not be around for much longer if he continues the disastrous start he's had to the 2023 season. Unfortunately for Fulton, it is happening to him in a […]
NASHVILLE — Tennessee Titans (1-2) corner Kristian Fulton is the last player remaining on the team's roster from its 2020 draft class. The former second-round pick will not be around for much longer if he continues the disastrous start he's had to the 2023 season.
Unfortunately for Fulton, it is happening to him in a contract year.
Tennessee lost by a score of 27-3 on Sunday to the Cleveland Browns (2-1), and defensive miscues certainly played a role. Cleveland quarterback Deshaun Watson had struggled in his first eight starts with the Browns since joining the team and missing 11 games due to a suspension. Watson got right against the Titans, however, finishing with his best completion percentage (81.8%), passing yardage total (289) and quarterback rating (123.4) since landing in Cleveland.
Fulton graded out as Tennessee's worst defender in coverage for the game, according to Pro Football Focus, with a grade 35.3.
"Did we just get beat?" coach Mike Vrabel said of the coverage miscues. "Were we in close proximity or maybe our technique was poor? Did we have a communication error like what occurred maybe against the Chargers? Or did we just have a mental error like maybe what occurred yesterday at the end of the game?
"Just playing quarters coverage and thinking that Hook (Amani Hooker) was going to take him. So again, there's no easy answer to that, I apologize. I know that's not what you're looking for. We know that has to stop. We talked about making them earn it. Part of that is affecting the quarterback with the pass rush or getting him off the spot, or when you do get him off the spot, being able to get him on the ground. So, I think it all goes hand-in-hand. It's just not the guys in coverage, it's the guys up front. And that's how we have to look at it and that's how we have to coach it."
Vrabel did acknowledge that Fulton was supposed to be the defender in coverage on the final touchdown that the Browns had against Tennessee when receiver Amari Cooper went streaking through the Titans secondary for a 43-yard score.
Fulton missed his team's Week 2 win against the Los Angeles Chargers (1-2) with a hamstring injury and returned to the lineup in Week 3. Watson was 4/4 for 95 yards and the late touchdown when Fulton was the primary defender. According to Nick Suss of the Tennessean, opposing quarterbacks have a perfect passer rating (158.3) when targeting Fulton this season.
The LSU product is certainly not the only issue the Titans are having right now.
Fulton is, unfortunately for Tennessee, one of many glaring problems that must be corrected. How the fourth-year corner goes about stopping the bleeding on his end remains to be seen.
Titans fail on both sides of the ball in blowout loss to Browns
CLEVELAND — The Tennessee Titans (1-2) were completely outmatched against the Cleveland Browns (2-1) on Sunday. Cleveland wiped the floor with the visiting Titans by a score of 27-3. It hardly felt that close. Ass-kickings do happen in the NFL, but this was at every level. Tennessee's lone scoring drive, a 44-yard field goal by […]
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