Skip to main content
All Panthers

Panthers Should Keep Tabs on Chiefs Player Who Might Get Cut

There will be a lot of players released by NFL teams this weekend. Could the Panthers have an opportunity to add more experience to their formidable secondary?
Russell Baxter|
Jul 29, 2026; St. Joseph, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Kristian Fulton (8) walks down the hill to the practice fields during training camp at Missouri Western State University. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images
Jul 29, 2026; St. Joseph, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Kristian Fulton (8) walks down the hill to the practice fields during training camp at Missouri Western State University. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

In this story:

Carolina Panthers

The deadline for NFL teams to have their rosters reduced to 53 players is 6:00 pm on Sunday, August 30. There will certainly be some surprises, per usual.

Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report picked out a half-dozen players that could wind up being available to teams after clubs make their cuts. One happened to be a former second-round draft choice who has now played for three different franchises the since 2023.

Cornerback Kristian Fulton was the 61st overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft by the Tennessee Titans. In four seasons and a total of 44 contests with the club (including playoffs), he totaled four interceptions, one sack, a fumble recovery and was credited with 25 passes defensed.

Roster cuts will make a lot of players available for NFL teams

Chiefs' CB Kristian Fulton
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The former LSU standout signed a one-year deal with the Chargers in 2024 and enjoyed a solid year for Jim Harbaugh’s playoff-bound team. There was a personal-best 51 tackles and one pick. Fulton was on the move again last offseason, inking a two-year, $20 million contract with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Injuries proved to be a big factor as he was limited to only eight games (his fewest since his rookie season in 2020) and only two starts. He finished with 16 defensive stops and six passes defensed. Could he be the odd man out in a crowded Chiefs’ cornerback room?

“Fulton wasn't terrible when he was on the field,” explained Davenport. “His 81.7 passer rating against was his best since 2021—but he played just 208 snaps in his first season in Kansas City. And a $13 million cap hit is a lot for a subpackage corner.”

Could the Panthers be in the market for some cornerback help?

Jaycee Horn
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The reigning NFC South champions own one of the better secondaries in the league. The unit is led by one of the top cornerback tandems in the NFL. Jaycee Horn was named to his second Pro Bowl in 2025 and led the team with a career-best five interceptions.

Seven-year pro Mike Jackson has started every game for Carolina since being acquired by trade from Seattle in 2024. He has a total of seven interceptions, including a pick of Rams’ quarterback Matthew Stafford in January’s playoff clash.

Other key member of the Panthers’ cornerback room include Corey Thornton (3 interceptions in 2025) and Chau Smith-Wade (interception return for TD in Week 3 vs. Falcons), while GM Dan Morgan used a fourth-round pick in April on Texas A&M’s Will Lee III. Is there room on Ejiro Evero’s defensive unit for a six-year pro who also has some playoff experience on his resume? Of course, Fulton has to hit the open market first.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations

Published
Russell Baxter
RUSSELL BAXTER

Russell S. Baxter has been writing and researching the game of football for more than 40 years, and on numerous platforms. That includes television, as he spent more than two decades at ESPN, and was part of shows that garnered five Emmy Awards. He also spent the 2015 NFL season with Thursday Night Football on CBS/NFLN.

Home/News