Dec 16, 2021; Inglewood, California, USA; A detailed view of Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers helmets at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

How New Chief Is Very Familiar With Week 1 Opponent

Originally posted on Kansas City Chiefs on SI
By Dominic Minchella | Last updated Aug 31, 2025 11:00 AM ET

The Kansas City Chiefs' offseason of additions and improvements will be put to the test right away, as they take on their AFC West divisional foe, the Los Angeles Chargers, in less than one week to begin the 2025 NFL campaign.

Following the Super Bowl LIX defeat, the Chiefs needed to add to several positions this offseason to ensure two things. One, that they will still have a path to the playoffs, let alone the Super Bowl, and two, that they will remain competitive with their division rivals.

The Chiefs are very familiar with the Chargers when it comes to beginning their season, having faced them a handful of times since Patrick Mahomes took over the starting quarterback role back in 2018. But it's one of the Chiefs' offseason additions who might add an extra edge to the game in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Former Charger Turned Chief

Kansas City's front office signed veteran cornerback and former Charger Kristian Fulton to a two-year contract worth $20 million. Fulton's a veteran in the National Football League, and pairing him with the up-and-coming Trent McDuffie to share a cornerback room could spell good things for defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.

Emerging into the league with the Tennessee Titans as their second-round draft pick back in 2020, Fulton took a chance on himself by signing a one-year deal with Los Angeles after spending four seasons donning a Titans uniform. And thank goodness he did, as if he can repeat his success last season, Brett Veach will look like even more of a genius.

In 15 games with the Chargers in 2024, Fulton set a new career high in total tackles with 51, solo tackles with 39 and stuffs with three. He also collected seven passes defended, which was the second-most in his NFL career, and most since the 2021 season.

Fulton dealt with some injury this offseason, as head coach Andy Reid revealed that Fulton had a summer clean-up surgery on his knee, but that hasn't stopped the newest Chief from finding motivation ahead of the new season.

“So, it was really frustrating for me to be on the sideline, you know, kind of just trying to learn from others, which I don't have a problem learning from others. It’s just that all the reps matter. I just tried to take it day by day, tried to enjoy the process, just wait for my time to come.”

Going into the Chargers matchup, Fulton could provide a ton of thoughts when defending his former team, especially in protection. According to Pro Football Focus, Fulton had an above-average grade in coverage, earning a 67.9.

This article first appeared on Kansas City Chiefs on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: