As Tennessee Titans cornerback Kristian Fulton struggled in every way possible in the Week 5 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, fans and media alike were wondering if the team would bench him as a result.
Fulton, who was already having a rough season to begin with, was getting burnt in coverage all game long, and he committed a pair of brutal pass interference penalties that assisted the Colts on two scoring drives.
After the game, head coach Mike Vrabel admitted he considered sitting the struggling cornerback while also noting he had a conversation with Fulton during halftime about the double moves he had issues with.
Mike Vrabel said sitting Kristian Fulton was a consideration. They talked about double moves during half time and there was a PI call on a double move in the 2nd half.
— TURRON DAVENPORT (@TDavenport_NFL) October 8, 2023
If Fulton’s performance wasn’t enough to earn a benching next week, perhaps his reaction to it after the game will be. The LSU product didn’t exactly take accountability for his poor showing.
“I feel like I was very sound today,” Fulton said, per Paul Kuharsky. “Besides one play, the one with No. 11 (Michael Pittman) when he caught that out, it was on me, I guess.
“For the most part, I think today was technically sound. Obviously, they made some plays or whatever, but it’s hard when you’ve got to play against the refs and the receivers. It’s life as a DB.”
Many (myself included) had Fulton pegged for a breakout campaign in what is a contract year for him. However, the Titans’ supposed No. 1 cornerback has been nothing but a liability through five games.
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Whether or not the Titans bench him remains to be seen, but they do have the kind of depth to at least try it, with Roger McCreary having the capability to move outside opposite Sean Murphy-Bunting.
From there, Tennessee could deploy guys Elijah Molden or Amani Hooker in the slot, or even give Fulton a look there in the hopes a change of scenery helps turn things around for him.
If Fulton’s leash hasn’t run out already, it should be very short moving forward.
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