Bob Self/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK

Kristian Fulton has been placed on injured reserve by the Tennessee Titans. This means the corner will have to miss the next four games, which will essentially end his season considering the Titans are not projected to to be a playoff team.

Fulton had been dealing with a nagging hamstring injury. Still, the corner had managed to play in 12 of the team’s 13 games thus far.

Since coming into the league in 2020, Fulton has has a tumultuous career. The former LSU corner has never played in more than 13 games in a season, and even when healthy, his play has fluctuated mightily. The best season for Fulton was in 2021 when the corner collected 40 tackles and 2 interceptions.

2021 was also the highest-rated season for Fulton via PFF, as the corner earned a 66.1 grade that year. Fulton took a step back in 2022, earning a 63.8 PFF grade and snagging just 1 INT.

2023 has been the worst season of Fulton’s career. The corner has a pitiful 46.4 PFF grade and did not collect any INTs.

The Titans’ secondary is already short-handed

Fellow starting corner Sean Murphy-Bunting was banged up in the Monday Night Football game against the Miami Dolphins. The veteran corner suffered a knee injury and it is unclear if he will be able to reurn this season.

Former first-round pick Caleb Farley has also been out of action and is unlikely to play in 2023.

Without Fulton, the Titans will likely turn to undrafted free agent Eric Garror, who has primarily handled punt returns thus far in his NFL career.

Kristian Fulton was a promising prospect who hasn’t panned out

Fulton was origanlly drafted in the 2nd round of the 2020 NFL Draft by the Titans out of LSU. The corner collected 56 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, and 2 INTs for the Tigers and was an integral part of the defense on the 2019 National Championship team.

Fulton received Second Team All-SEC honors for the Tigers in 2019 and was one of the top corner prospects in the 2020 NFL Draft. Unfortunately, injuries and inconsistent play have plagued Fulton’s career to this point.

Fulton’s rookie contract will expire at the conclusion of the 2023 season, and the young corner will still likely be a hot commodity on the open market. It would not be surprising to see a team take a chance on the talented defensive back. A change of scenery could launch Fulton back into national conversation as an above-average corner in the league.

Spotrac projects Fulton to land around $6.7M per year in free agency.

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