To say it’s been a rough start to the year for Kristian Fulton would be putting it mildly. The Tennessee Titans cornerback has come under tremendous scrutiny this season.
Fulton has allowed an 81.0 percent completion rate and 110.5 passer rating for opposing quarterbacks through the first six games. The Titans are 2-4 over that stretch.
According to Titans’ defensive backs coach Chris Harris, Fulton’s best football is yet to come.
“Kristian (Fulton) is a starting corner in this league,” Harris said earlier this week, via ESPN’s Turron Davenport. “(He) just needs to come out here and continue to work, just continue to work. We’re in the process of getting better.
“We got a lot of football left to play this season. There’s a ton of football left. The sky’s not falling. I’m excited for Kristian. He’s going to be just fine.”
Reading the tea leaves, this is a classic coach defending his player.
There’s no denying that Fulton has been a liability this season. Perhaps the bye week will allow the 25-year-old to hit the reset button, but he certainly has a short leash going forward.
The former LSU standout’s struggles came to a head after his performance against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 5. Fulton allowed four catches for 95 yards and was dinged for two ill-timed penalties.
He was benched midway through the Titans’ 24-16 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in London in favor of second-year cornerback, Tre Avery.
Fulton played better against Baltimore, but he also wasn’t challenged as much, as head coach Mike Vrabel said earlier this week. He was credited for allowing four catches for 24 yards, and despite splitting time with Avery, Fulton still accounted for 77 percent of defensive snaps.
Avery played well in a limited sample size, seeing 18 snaps in relief. The 26-year-old allowed just one catch for four yards and could continue to see an increased workload should Fulton struggle coming out of the bye week.
