The Bolts defense has been a force to start the season.
When looking at most defensive metrics, Defensive Coordinator Jesse Minter's unit is slotted near the top as they've been able to make it work with a handful of new faces.
One of those additions who has been vital to the success is cornerback Kristian Fulton, who is thriving in his first year in the powder blue.
And his play is garnering him some praise around the league early in the season.
Pro Football Focus' Brady Locker recently highlighted 10 of the most improved players in the NFL through the first four games and included Fulton among them.
Locker wrote:
When Fulton signed… with the Chargers, few turned their heads. Following only four games in Los Angeles, though, Fulton appears to be playing well above his pay grade. The former Titan has collected an 82.5 PFF overall grade thus far, including a stingy 82.3 PFF coverage grade — both of which rank in the top seven among cornerbacks this season (minimum of 30 snaps).
Fulton's overall grade is good for third highest on the Chargers, according to PFF, behind only Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack.
His coverage grade is also the second-highest on the team, as both of those grades would be career bests as it stands.
Fulton notched his first interception with the Chargers in Week 4 against the Chiefs and has two tackles for loss to go along with three passes defensed.
It's been a big bounce back to start the year for the fifth-year cornerback, and he's been crucial to a Chargers defense that has been one of the best units in the league.
Locker wrote:
Fulton was largely an average player during his four years in Tennessee. The LSU product relished his best year in 2021 at a 64.1 PFF overall grade but particularly declined last season, after which his 46.4 PFF overall grade sat 76th out of 78 qualifying cornerbacks.
Playing with Jim Harbaugh's upstart bunch, Fulton has anchored a Chargers defense that has been much more tenacious in the early part of the year.
To read Locker's full list, click here.
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