By now, the Detroit Lions' struggles at cornerback and in the secondary are well established.
The Lions' passing defense (304 passing yards allowed per game) and Detroit's total defense (423.8 yards per game) are both last in the NFL. And that's with a Detroit defense that ranks second in sacks with 15 already this season, led by Aidan Hutchinson's 3.5 sacks.
So, it's obvious that Detroit is desperate for answers in its defensive backfield, and it doesn't appear that the answers are in-house.
Lions head coach Dan Campbell made it clear on Tuesday that he's not ready to settle for mediocrity. That makes sense given the amount of star players that the Lions have on both sides of the football.
Safety Brian Branch returned to practice on Wednesday,
so that will naturally help the Lions' defense once Branch is back to full speed. But, Detroit needs more than just Branch back.
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler included the Lions among the NFL teams that most need to make a trade.
The Lions should make a move for a cornerback. They were in on Joey Porter Jr. before Pittsburgh traded him to Dallas. Detroit's secondary is swimming right now, and though safety Brian Branch is close to a return and safety Kerby Joseph should eventually be back, the Lions don't have enough corner help to run the coverages they want. This team has elite players on both sides of the ball and must embrace its window of contention, whether it's slipping away or not.
One potential option is Kansas City's Kristian Fulton, who is in and out of the Chiefs' lineup. He is owed real money -- $5 million of his $9.75 million base salary is guaranteed -- but perhaps the Chiefs and Lions could split the bill to facilitate a deal. Is it worth calling Pittsburgh for Jalen Ramsey? Not sure he's available, but the Lions' defense seems far from settled. - Jeremy Fowler, ESPN
The Kansas City Chiefs signed Kristian Fulton to a two-year, $20 million deal in March of 2025. Fulton carries a $13 million cap hit, and, as Fowler noted, $5 million of his $9.75 million base salary in 2026 is guaranteed.
Fulton has a 76.0 overall defensive grade and a 76.4 coverage grade from Pro Football Focus across 115 defensive snaps thus far this season and 72 coverage snaps. Fulton has allowed just four receptions for 19 yards on eight targets.
But, Fulton didn't play at all for the Chiefs in Week 3 at the Miami Dolphins and then logged just 16 snaps last week at the Las Vegas Raiders.
Kansas City has an obvious need at wide receiver, so clearing some of Fulton's money off its books and garnering some draft capital could help facilitate the Chiefs' ability to address its offense.
In three games this season, Fulton has totaled seven tackles and one interception.
In his career, Fulton has registered 224 tackles, 39 passes defended, 10 tackles for loss, six interceptions, one quarterback hit, one sack, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery. The 5-foot-11, 197-pound corner was originally a second-round pick by the Tennessee Titans out of LSU in the 2020 NFL Draft. Fulton has played in 68 games and started 54 in his NFL career to date.
Ramsey might be a better option on paper than in reality.
The 6-foot-1, 208-pound corner is currently playing with a broken wrist. At the height of his powers, Ramsey is one of the NFL's top corners. Ramsey is an eight-time Pro Bowler, a three-time first-team All-Pro selection.
But, he's also set to turn 32 years old later this month, and Ramsey would carry a $17.2 million cap hit this season, a $19.1 million cap hit in 2027, and a $31 million cap hit in 2028.
In his career, Ramsey has notched 640 tackles, 117 passes defended, 32 tackles for loss, 25 interceptions, 13 quarterback hits, seven forced fumbles, and six sacks. Ramsey has played in 156 games and started 155 over his NFL career.
Ramsey has totaled 18 tackles, one pass defended, and one forced fumble in four games this season with the Steelers.
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This article originally appeared on Lions Wire: ESPN makes case for 2 Detroit Lions cornerback trade targets
