Through the first two weeks of training camp, Tennessee Titans safety Kevin Byard has taken some of the younger defensive backs under his wing.
Earlier this week, the almost 29-year-old spoke with Caleb Farley after the latter was beaten in one-on-one drills by wide receiver Racey McMath.
Byard, who learned on Thursday that his No. 20 jersey would be retired by his alma mater, Middle Tennessee State University, spoke at length with the media following the team’s seventh session of training camp.
Of the items that stood out, the Philadelphia native touched on his expectations for third-year cornerback Kristian Fulton.
According to Byard, a Pro Bowl-caliber year should be the standard for the LSU product after a career year in 2021.
“We have a lot of guys who I feel like are going to be real good X-factors for us. I’ve kind of talked to Kristian Fulton about that,” Byard said via AtoZ Sports Nashville. “Obviously, we drafted Roger [McCreary], who I think is going to be a really good corner for us. But I’m talking to Kristian like, ‘Hey, you’re going be an X-factor for us.’ A lot of guys have different expectations and have different standards for themselves.
“But I say, ‘hey, you, a Pro-Bowl year for you has to be the standard; you have to be trying to reach that next level. You had a good year last year. You had some little injuries and had some lulls or whatever. But a Pro-Bowl year has to be good for you.’ And I think if Kristian can take his game to the next level, that will help out our defense a lot.”
Fulton, 23, played and started in 13 games last season, recording 40 tackles, two interceptions and a team-high 14 pass break-ups, and made he significant strides in his pass coverage from Year 1 to Year 2.
He held opposing quarterbacks to a 51.4 percent completion rate and a 71.3 quarterback rating. As a rookie, he allowed a 68.8 completion percentage and a 91.4 quarterback rating on balls thrown his way.
That said, he struggled to play at a high level consistently. Fulton allowed just under 19 yards per completion through the first five weeks of the regular season before that average improved.
However, over the final three weeks, the young cornerback allowed an average of 14.1 yards per completion, buoyed by a seven-reception, 113-yard game on balls thrown in his direction in Week 16 against the San Francisco 49ers.
In training camp thus far, Fulton has continued to be boom-or-bust. He’s made some nice plays in one-on-one and team periods, but he also gave up two catches to Racey McMath on Thursday, including a deep ball downfield for a touchdown.
While Byard understands that the cornerback position is one of the most challenging in the National Football League, he wants to see consistency from Fulton heading into the 2022 season.
“You always have to be on point because we give up big plays; that’s what people see,” Byard said of the cornerback position. “So I think it’s just a hard position to play. I understand that you’re going to give up some plays. You’re going to face a lot of elite receivers week in and week out.
“You’ve got to make some plays; that’s what we get paid to do. But it’s all about how you respond to that. You know, if you give a play, don’t turn it into two or three. So that’s really what I want to see from him or continue to see from is it just keep battling the back,” he added.