Could the Lions trade for Kristian Fulton? Our Chiefs reporter explains what it would take
Kristian Fulton made sense for Detroit a year ago and still does now, but Kansas City’s cornerback depth and injury concerns make a deal much more complicated than it once looked.
The Detroit Lions are expected to be active before the NFL trade deadline, and a cornerback is a logical target. One name that came up last year was Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Kristian Fulton. He was on the trade block a bit back then, and he would be a sensible fit in Detroit now.
So I asked our Chiefs beat writer Charles Goldman whether Fulton is still on the table. His answer was more complicated than it was a year ago.
“I don’t know if he’s as available as he once was, and I think that has more to do with the Chiefs’ cornerback situation than it necessarily does with Fulton and his value,” Goldman said.
Why the Chiefs might hang on to Fulton
The issue for Kansas City is depth. Goldman said the Chiefs really have four cornerbacks who can realistically start, and injuries have already tested that group.
Kansas City took Mansoor Delane with the sixth pick in the draft. He played three snaps in his Week 1 debut, intercepted a pass, and hurt his shoulder on the same play. The injury kept him out a couple of games.
Fulton came off the bench without practicing as a starter that week and played well. The next week, he started in Delane’s place and played well again.
The Chiefs also have L’Jarius Sneed, who has dealt with a nagging knee injury for three or four years. Goldman said Kansas City knows how to manage it and get him to game day every week. He still sees risk there.
“All it takes is one bad play for that injury to flare up and for him to be out for a period of time, and then suddenly now you only have three good cornerbacks that you feel comfortable and confident with putting out there,” Goldman said.
The Chiefs have reason to think twice. The old NFL saying is that you can never have too many cornerbacks, and that applies to Kansas City right now.
On the other hand, Goldman didn’t close the door. Fulton is on a one-year deal. Trading him would clear cap space, and that could help K.C. take on a player with a bigger cap hit in another move. The right offer could still get it done.
What would the Lions have to give up?
Our trade simulator at atozsports.com/tradesimulator puts Fulton’s value somewhere between a fourth-round pick and a sixth-round pick. Fair warning: once you start messing around with it, you’ll get obsessed.
A fourth is the high end of that range. If the Lions offered one, I think the Chiefs should take it. That’s a strong price for a player in Fulton’s spot, but if Detroit needs a cornerback badly enough, I could see Brad Holmes making that call.
Goldman brought up a wrinkle that makes this more fun. Our Cleveland Browns writer Brandon Little told him the Browns want a fourth-round pick for wide receiver Jerry Jeudy.
If Kansas City wants to add a receiver without giving up its own draft capital, Goldman suggested a three-way deal. The Chiefs would get a fourth from the Lions and send it to Cleveland for Jeudy. Detroit would get Fulton.
I’m all for that. The NFL needs more three-way trades.
Can Fulton still start?
This is the question that matters most for the Lions. We know Fulton started in Tennessee and Los Angeles. Goldman believes he can still do it.
“I think he’s capable. I think he would have been starting or at least competing for a starting role in Kansas City last season had he been healthy,” Goldman said.
Fulton missed basically the whole offseason program last year. For a new player, that’s a tough spot because you can’t earn on-field trust with teammates and coaches.
This year, he was healthy through the offseason. Still, the Chiefs invested heavily in the position with Delane and brought back Sneed, which pushed Fulton down the depth chart until the injuries hit.
“[He] filled in very nicely for [Delane], where there wasn’t much of a drop-off. And frankly, that gives me confidence that, hey, this guy can come in and start for Kansas City,” Goldman said. “And I think any team wanting to acquire him, they should have that confidence as well.”
That’s what Detroit would be paying for: a veteran who has already shown he can step in without the defense falling apart.
I don’t know who the Lions will move for, but it feels like they’re going to do something. Maybe the Chiefs decide to deal Fulton, and maybe Detroit makes the call. We’ll see what happens in the coming weeks.
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