Tag: Kristian Fulton

Titans injury updates: Peter Skoronski, Kristian Fulton, Amani Hooker

Titans head coach Mike Vrabel provided good news on Kristian Fulton and Amani Hooker, but not Peter Skoronski.

The Tennessee Titans were without three starters in Week 2 against the Los Angeles Chargers. On Wednesday, head coach Mike Vrabel provided updates for the trio.

Left guard Peter Skoronski missed the Week 2 game after undergoing an appendectomy that can sideline a player anywhere from one to four weeks depending on what type.

The secondary was without two players in cornerback Kristian Fulton and safety Amani Hooker, who were dealing with a hamstring injury and a concussion, respectively.

We received good news from Vrabel on Fulton and Hooker, both of whom are expected to practice on Wednesday. Hooker has yet to fully clear the concussion protocol, though.

Meanwhile, it was the opposite for Skoronski, as Vrabel revealed he is unlikely to play in Week 3 as he continues to recover from the procedure.

Xavier Newman got the start in Skoronski’s place in Week 2, but he was pulled for Dillon Radunz after struggling mightily early on. Radunz went on to allow three pressures but no sacks. He figures to get the nod in Week 3.

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See it: Titans’ Kristian Fulton grabs sick 1-handed INT in joint practice

Titans CB Kristian Fulton had an impressive one-handed interception at joint practice on Thursday.

One of the good things about the Tennessee Titans’ joint practices with the Minnesota Vikings this week is some Vikings fans are taking videos of the team periods, which is something we don’t get to see when the Titans are practicing by themselves.

Thanks to that cool little wrinkle, we got a look at the ridiculous one-handed pick Titans cornerback Kristian Fulton ripped off on Thursday.

On a pass from Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins to the corner of the end zone, Fulton goes up and grabs the pass with one hand for the impressive interception — and he manages to get both feet down, also.

Shoutout to Leighton Glodek of StrictlyFootball for the video:

After practice, Fulton said he hopes the play goes viral — we’re trying, Kristian!

The LSU product has been impressive throughout training camp and in joint practices with the Vikings. He looks primed to have a big year, assuming he can stay healthy.

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Ranking CBs in the AFC South entering 2023

Ranking the CBs across the AFC South entering 2023.

The AFC South doesn’t have an elite cornerback entering 2023, but it does feature proven veterans and a mixture of young players that have the skill set to develop into one of the top players at the position.

For this list, I took the two best corners from each team. Let’s take a look at how they rank across the division:

4 Titans make list of top-50 free agents for 2024

Four Titans made a recent list of the top 50 free agents for 2024.

This upcoming season is a massive one for the Tennessee Titans. Obviously, the team wants to bounce back from what was a disastrous ending to a once-promising 2022 season. 

However, something that often gets overlooked when discussing the Titans is the fact that this could be the final swan song for the current era.

Key pillars of the franchise, such as Ryan Tannehill and Derrick Henry, are not only entering the final years of their deals, but Tennessee’s new general manager has already drafted their replacements if everything goes according to plan.

While these are things the Titans aren’t necessarily thinking about right now, Tennessee will eventually have some hard decisions to make when it comes to several of its own players.

Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com recently ranked his top 50 free agents for 2024, and he has four Titans making his list. On top of Henry and Tannehill, he also has cornerback Kristian Fulton and defensive lineman Teair Tart cracking his list.

You can find the exact rankings of these four players, as well as Rosenthal’s rationale for each one, listed below.

Titans’ Kristian Fulton talks ‘very different’ offseason, having something to prove

After completely changing his offseason approach, Titans CB Kristian Fulton has his sights set on proving he’s one of the best in the NFL.

Tennessee Titans cornerback Kristian Fulton has experienced his fair share of highs and lows in the NFL since being drafted back in 2020.

When Fulton is on the field, he’s undoubtedly the Titans’ best cornerback, often lining up across from the opposing team’s best wide receiver and holding his own more often than not.

Unfortunately, staying on the field has been the problem for the fourth-year cornerback. Fulton has yet to play an entire season’s worth of games, missing at least four contests each campaign that he’s been in the league.

While a lot of injuries are mostly considered bad luck, it became rather evident during the final press conference of 2022 that head coach Mike Vrabel felt a little differently when it came to Fulton’s injury history.

The LSU product was one of the few players that Vrabel singled out by name when discussing his guys being able to limit things like soft-tissue injuries going forward.

It appears as if Fulton got the message loud and clear after coming into training camp in the best physical shape of his career, and it seems to be paying off.

Recently, Vrabel lauded Fulton for the shape he showed up in.

“Thought he came back, was in great shape. You could tell that he had been working, from the conditioning test, and he just doesn’t look like a guy who’s winded or getting tired,” Vrabel said, per Paul Kuharsky. “I think that’s a testament to him and just being ready to. And I know he’s excited to string some days together and continue that improvement.”

The former second-round pick admitted that he changed basically everything about his offseason regimen, which included hiring new trainers, chefs, etc.

“It (Fulton’s offseason approach) was very different, just a different trainer, different setting, different ways to take care of my body,” he said, per Jim Wyatt. “[Now] I feel good, like I was in better shape coming into this camp, and I think it shows. I think it has shown with me being out there every day.”

By all accounts, the Titans cornerback has been one of the biggest standouts in camp thus far, often holding his own against the likes of DeAndre Hopkins and Treylon Burks.

Fulton has millions of reasons to be motivated as he enters a contract year that could ultimately lead to a lot of money for himself if he performs well.

Fulton discussed his personal motivations heading into the season and they included more than just a contract: he wants to prove he’s one of the best at his position in the NFL.

“I am coming into every season with something to prove, but definitely this year,” Fulton said. “I am not really worried about contract talk, but just as a corner I feel like I am one of those top guys in this league, and I have to go out there and show it each and every week, I know that.

“I feel like my talent is there, and I feel like I can go with the best of them. Whenever I’ve gone up against one of those top receivers in the league, I pretty much held my own since I came into the league. But it is just about doing it consistently.”

The veteran certainly has the potential to establish himself as a bona fide elite cornerback in the NFL if he can find a way to stay healthy.

Last season alone, Fulton was among the stingiest cornerbacks in the league (minimum 50 targets), allowing an Open-Target percentage of 33.9 percent (13th-lowest), per Pro Football Focus

The former LSU Tiger also finished with the following numbers in coverage, according to Next Gen Stats, which ranked him as the No. 8 “coverage player” in the league:

  • Passer rating allowed: 76.2
  • Catch rate allowed below expectation: -7.4 percent
  • Tight-window percentage: 25.5 percent
  • Target rate: 15.1 percent
  • Average separation: 2.7 yards
  • Targeted expected points added: -12.9

Fulton’s tight-window rate of 25.5 percent helped him record five pass breakups and one interception on 55 targets, and he also finished with the second-best coverage success rate among the top-10 coverage players

Coverage success rate, by the way, is the percentage of targets that result in a successful play for the defense.

If the Titans are able to add a true No. 1 cornerback to a defensive unit that already includes one of the best front-sevens and safety tandems in the NFL, it could be a scary sight for the rest of the league.

The best-case scenario for everybody involved is Fulton stays healthy and eventually plays himself into a lucrative second contract in Tennessee.

Should that happen, the fourth-year corner will have clearly lived up to his offseason hype, which in turn would likely take the Titans’ defense to an entirely different level.

Titans DC Shane Bowen talks Kristian Fulton, slot CB, strip sacks

Titans DC Shane Bowen praised Kristian Fulton, mentioned strip sacks as a point of emphasis, and touched on the situation at slot cornerback.

Tennessee Titans defensive coordinator Shane Bowen spoke to the media for the first time in training camp on Tuesday and touched on a number of topics, including cornerbacks Elijah Molden and Krisitan Fulton, and the need for the defense to force more turnovers.

On Fulton, Bowen praised the fourth-year corner much like head coach Mike Vrabel did recently, but also like Vrabel, Bowen noted that consistency is key for the LSU product.

“I think he came back ready to go,” Bowen said of Fulton, per AtoZ Sports. “I think this is probably the best shape he’s been in since he’s been here. He looks stronger, looks more physical, looks in condition.

“I think the addition of [DeAndre] Hopkins is huge for him, just from the competition aspect of it,” he added. “Again, it’s always been for Kristian — and we tell him this — is the consistency, right? Play in and play out. And to have that competition play in and play out out here in practice, it requires a high level of focus to be able to go out and execute and do what we’re asking him to do and ultimately end up winning the one-on-one versus a guy like that. Hopefully, that continues with him; he’s off to a great start right now. It’s a big year for him, he knows that, we know that.”

The expectation for the entire offseason has been that Roger McCreary would take over the slot role, where many believe he’s better suited thanks to his lack of length.

But the problem with automatically assuming that is the presence of Elijah Molden, who was plagued by injury last year but was no doubt an impact player out of the slot in his first season.

Bowen noted that while McCreary is getting a look on the inside in 2023, who will ultimately play there will be determined over the next month.

“[Molden is] a nickel only for us at the corner position, so I think that’s something as we kind of go through this fall and we kind of see where [Roger McCreary] is at, how Rog is handling things as we go,” he said, according to Paul Kuharsky.

“Ultimately, our job is to get the best 11 on the field. We’ve got to kind of evaluate that throughout these next few weeks, see where we’re at. They’re going to get reps — Roger is going to get reps outside, Elijah’s been getting reps inside at nickel some, he’s getting plenty of reps at safety because that’s kind of the new thing for him. So, in terms of his development, I think that’s important. So, we’ll kind of see where it plays out.”

After a season in which the Titans finished tied for 20th in takeaways, Bowen mentioned how turnovers are a point of emphasis for the defense this offseason, especially when it comes to the pass-rush getting strip sacks.

“A strip sack is better than a sack always,” Bowen said, according to Teresa Walker of the Associated Press. “24 of the top 26 fumblers in the NFL are quarterbacks.

“We’ve got to find ways to effect the game. The front has a way they can do it, the back-end has a way they can do it, the linebackers have a way they can do it, and upfront it is put pressure on [quarterbacks] and seeing if we can get the ball off them. The back-end plays a role too; they’ve got to get them to hold it, they’ve got to be in tight coverage, all of the things that come into play. But those are opportunities we can’t miss. We’ve missed too many over the years where we’ve had opportunities to attack the football instead of just going for the sack at times, and we’ve got to make sure we’re making that emphasis that the ball is the issue. The sacks will come, but we need to make sure we’re attacking the football.”

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Photos from Titans’ 2nd open practice of training camp

A look at the photos from the Titans’ second open practice of training camp on Friday.

The Tennessee Titans returned to the practice field on Friday for what was the second practice of training camp that was open to the media.

It was also the start of one-on-ones, at least when the media has been able to record. The session produced quite the highlight from wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who made a great catch over cornerback Kristian Fulton.

You can check out that highlight and all of the biggest takeaways from yesterday’s session right here. And, in case you missed the first open practice on Wednesday, we have you covered right here.

Now, a look at the photos from Friday’s practice.

Titans CB Kristian Fulton’s offseason work paying off so far

Titans head coach Mike Vrabel heaped praise on Kristian Fulton for the shape he’s in this offseason.

One of the most important players on the defensive side of the ball for the Tennessee Titans in 2023 is cornerback Kristian Fulton.

Fulton, who is the team’s No. 1 cornerback, has had issues staying healthy during his career, and his absence is always a major issue for the Titans, especially in 2022 when the pass defense finished dead-last.

The 2020 second-round pick was even called out by head coach Mike Vrabel after the season when he listed the repeat offenders when it comes to soft-tissue injuries.

The LSU product drew some attention during the offseason program when he wasn’t around for the voluntary portion, but that was because he was down in Miami training in the hopes that a different approach would cure his ills on the injury front going into what is a contract year for him.

So far, it appears to have paid off, as Vrabel heaped praise on Fulton on Friday for the condition he showed up.

“Thought he came back, was in great shape. You could tell that he had been working, from the conditioning test, and he just doesn’t look like a guy who’s winded or getting tired,” Vrabel said, per Paul Kuharsky. “I think that’s a testament to him and just being ready to. And I know he’s excited to string some days together and continue that improvement.

“We’ve seen a lot of really good football from Kristian, and he knows that and he can tell the difference between when he plays like a one and when he plays somewhat lackadaisical. He knows we expect more at those times, and so does he. So, this is about consistency and building, and making a mistake and coming back and understanding why and competing again. That’s the challenge of a cornerback.”

This is a crucial year for Fulton who, as we said, is in the final year of his rookie deal.

But his health is also crucial to the Titans’ defensive success, as Tennessee’s 2023 defense will never be the best version of itself without its No. 1 cornerback on the field.

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2023 LSU Tigers Snapshot Profile: No. 26 Ashton Stamps

The arrival of Ashton Stamps continues to help Brian Kelly reach his goal of rebuilding the secondary.

Going into the 2023 football season, LSU Wire will be looking at each player on the Tigers’ roster.

Over the preseason, each profile will cover where the player is from, how recruiting websites rated them coming out of high school, and what role they will play for Brian Kelly this season.

We’ll be looking at a homegrown recruit that will help Kelly’s goal of getting the secondary to a spot where it doesn’t need to go to the transfer portal every year: [autotag]Ashton Stamps[/autotag], a three-star corner out of Archbishop Rummel High School.

LSU’s turned to Rummel several times in recent years, including for stars [autotag]Kristian Fulton[/autotag] and [autotag]Ja’Marr Chase[/autotag].

Ashton Stamps Preseason Player Profile

Titans’ Chig Okonkwo, Caleb Farley among fastest at their positions in ‘Madden NFL 24’

We also provide a look at how other Titans CBs and TEs fared in overall rating.

On Thursday, “Madden NFL 24” released the player ratings for two more positions, and while tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo and cornerback Caleb Farley were not among the highest-rated players in terms of overall mark, they did register among the highest speed ratings at their positions.

Okonkwo, who notched a lackluster 71 overall rating, notched an 88 in the speed department, tying him for the second-best mark among tight ends, which is at least somewhat surprising considering how often Titans are overlooked in all areas.

Farley was not only given a 74 overall, which is pretty solid considering the extremely disappointing start to his career, he also scored a 95 speed rating, tied for sixth-best among corners.

Farley hasn’t had much of a chance to show his wheels in the NFL thanks to injury and poor play that has greatly limited his on-field time, but lest we forget this was a guy who ran a 4.28 40-yard dash.

Now, a look at how other Titans tight ends and cornerbacks fared in “Madden NFL 24” ratings.