The Kansas City Chiefs have overhauled their secondary this offseason, and the team could still have one more big move coming.
The Chiefs dismantled their cornerback group, trading Trent McDuffie in a blockbuster deal and allowing Jaylen Watson to leave. Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton believes the team may have one more subtraction, naming veteran Kristian Fulton as a top cut candidate as training camp approaches.
Kristian Fulton Needs to Bounce Back
Moton identified the best player on each NFL team who could be cut before the season starts, noting that Fulton may face a fight for his job this summer. Moton noted that Fulton was hit with injuries in the first year of his contract, raising the stakes for the veteran as the 2026 season approaches.
“Following an injury-riddled year with eight regular-season appearances, Kristian Fulton must compete for a starting job in the second term of his two-year deal,” Moton wrote. “The Chiefs’ cornerback room is in transition after the club traded Trent McDuffie and allowed Jaylen Watson to walk in free agency. Fulton will likely battle 2025 third-rounder Nohl Williams for a spot on the boundary opposite rookie first-rounder Mansoor Delane. If the former loses, he could be cut before his age-28 campaign.”
Fulton appeared in only eight games last season with two starts, making 16 total tackles. He did show some playmaking ability during that time, defending six passes, but could find himself falling down the depth chart after the addition of Delane in the NFL draft.
Mansoor Delane Could Be Headed for Huge Season
If he does manage to find a spot on the final roster, Fulton could have a difficult time knocking Delane off the top cornerback spot. The Chiefs traded up to the No. 7 pick in the first round to land the LSU cornerback, who was seen as the best at his position and one of the top overall prospects in this year’s NFL draft.
NFL.com analyst Tom Blair predicted that Delane could be one of the top performers among this year’s rookie class.
“Delane’s got it all, at least for the purposes of making this list: head-of-the-class talent, a top-10 draft pedigree, extreme stability in his new coaching staff, and a premium spot on a roster with a good chance to be competitive,” Blair wrote. “That’s not the easiest combo to pull off, as the majority of early draft picks in recorded history would probably tell you.”
Blair added that Delane is a great fit for the Chiefs, who are attempting a rapid rebuild after falling short of the playoffs for the first time in more than a decade last season.
“The Chiefs had a tough 2025. They still have Andy Reid and — most importantly for Delane — Steve Spagnuolo running the show from the sideline,” Blair wrote. “Eventually, Patrick Mahomes will be back from his knee injury and get this organization into the Super Bowl mix again. Whether that happens by Week 1 or not, in the meantime, Delane can take on the role of successful young star DB that has been well established in K.C. by the likes of Trent McDuffie and L’Jarius Sneed.”
Chiefs Predicted to Part Ways With Veteran CB After ‘Injury-Riddled’ Year