Tennessee Titans cornerback Kristian Fulton is making weekly strides towards the NFL stardom he has been aiming for.

Now in his third NFL season, Fulton has made it his goal in 2022 to establish himself as one of the league's very best cornerbacks. After a lockdown performance in Houston and his first interception of the season, Fulton is beginning to see the fruits of his labor, and is turning the corner as one of the NFL's best coverage DB's.

Kristian Fulton over the last 3 weeks:
17 targets
6 receptions
38 yards
0 TD
1 INT
19.5 Passer Rating

— James Foster (@NoFlagsFilm) October 31, 2022

Following his strong outing in Houston, Fulton spoke to the media about the challenge he has placed upon himself to take a big step forward in his development. According to Fulton, Houston was really when it all clicked.

"Thats just a step I wanted to to take this year in general," Fulton said. "I feel like I've put together a few solid weeks, but in the past few weeks, I gave up a play or two throughout the game, so I feel like this was the week where I wanted to shut out everybody and shut down everything."

While he certainly accomplished that goal against the Texans, Fulton is not satisfied.

"Theres still progress to be made," he continued. "That was just the mindset heading into this week and taking the next step this year."

Taking Notice

Fulton's growth has been noticed by everybody, including his defensive coaching staff. Titans defensive coordinator Shane Bowen knows the goals Fulton has set for himself, and was complimentary of the growth he's seen on the field. His message for Fulton now is a simple one:

"It's great to want to be that, but you've go to do it," Bowen said of Fulton's strive for greatness. "The biggest thing with him is continuing to challenge himself to do that. Let's not talk about it. Let's go out there and show it week in and week out."

That consistency seems to be the message across the board. Titans secondary coach Anthony Midget told the media that Fulton has already taken the next step of a high-level corner, the goal now is to find consistency in that production.

#Titans secondary coach Anthony Midget thinks CB Kristian Fulton “has taken the next step.” pic.twitter.com/US1T94XOrG

— AtoZ Sports Nashville (@AtoZSports) November 3, 2022

"I think he has taken the next step. He's been playing at a high level for us, and we just keep preaching to him about being consistent. That's the expectation we have for him," Midget said.

With Caleb Farley struggling to find his way on the field and Elijah Molden missing the first seven games with an injury, Fulton taking a step forward has really kept the Titans secondary afloat.

The one game Fulton missed, Monday Night Football in Buffalo, was by far Tennessee's worst defensive performance of the year. That game made it clear how big of a role Fulton has in this defense.

If Fulton continues to bring the clamps like he did in Houston, the conversation may soon shift from Titans CB1 to being one of the best the NFL has to offer. He might get paid like it, too.

Image via Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports