The Kansas City Chiefs have been without free agent cornerback signing Kristian Fulton for the entire 2025 training camp period so far after bringing him in on a two-year, $20 million deal over the offseason.

Outside of head coach Andy Reid mentioning Fulton undergoing a “clean-up” surgery on his knee on July 28, there have been very few updates on the presumptive starter’s injury status. Until August 3, although the Chiefs’ latest Fulton update was as cryptic as the last.

“We’re hoping,” Reid replied on Sunday, after being asked if Fulton is nearing a return.

“We’re just kind of taking it day by day,” the Chiefs HC added. “[Fulton] started to run here, so we’ll see where it goes.”

The long-lost free agent signing started training camp on the active/PUP list, so he’s eligible to return at any time. However, if this knee injury were to linger up until Week 1, the Chiefs would be able to save a 53-man roster spot and retain Fulton on the short-term PUP list without having to cut another player. Fulton would then be forced to miss the first four weeks of the season.

As of August 4, it’s still way too early to worry about the veteran CB sitting out any games. But as the calendar creeps forward and Fulton remains inactive, you have to wonder what type of game shape he’ll be in, even if he does recover in time.

For now, the assumption is still that Fulton will start when ready. Although that’s becoming less and less of a lock as his injury absence drags on.

The Chiefs signed Kristian Fulton after their secondary was exploited during the Super Bowl. Ironically, it’ll be interesting to see how much they really need him once he finally returns.

With Fulton sidelined, rookie third-rounder Nohl Williams and second-year UDFA Christian Roland-Wallace have both flashed their potential.

Arrowhead Pride beat reporter Pete Sweeney noted that Roland-Wallace was the nickelback for the first- and second-team defenses on August 3. This could change if All-Pro Trent McDuffie eventually moves back into the slot, but the Chiefs really like and trust Roland-Wallace at this position, too.

Within the same thread, Sweeney also reported that Roland-Wallace “broke up two passes” on Sunday, adding that “CRW” is having a “good camp” so far.

The 2025 draft pick, Williams, has earned first-team reps of his own at Chiefs training camp, except his have come on the outside.

It’s been widely reported that the rookie CB has impressed throughout the summer, and it’ll be fun to see if these two youngsters can live up to the hype during the three preseason outings.