Desmond King (American football)

Desmond King II (born December 14, 1994) is an American professional football cornerback. He earned All-Pro honors in 2018 as both a defensive back and a punt returner. He played college football for the Iowa Hawkeyes, and was a unanimous All-American. King was selected by the Los Angeles Chargers in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL draft. He has also played for the Tennessee Titans and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Desmond King II

King II with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2017
Personal information
Born:	(1994-12-14) December 14, 1994 (age 30) Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Height:	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight:	201 lb (91 kg)
Career information
High school:	East English Village Prep (Detroit, Michigan)
College:	Iowa (2013–2016)
Position:	Cornerback
NFL draft:	2017 / round: 5 / pick: 151
Career history
Los Angeles Chargers (2017–2020) Tennessee Titans (2020) Houston Texans (2021–2022) Pittsburgh Steelers (2023) Houston Texans (2023–2024) Baltimore Ravens (2024)
Career highlights and awards
First-team All-Pro (2018) Second-team All-Pro (2018) Jim Thorpe Award (2015) Jack Tatum Award (2015) Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year (2015) Unanimous All-American (2015) Second-team All-American (2016) 2× First-team All-Big Ten (2015, 2016)
Career NFL statistics as of 2024
Total tackles: 476 Sacks: 9.5 Forced fumbles: 3 Fumble recoveries: 7 Interceptions: 9 Pass deflections: 35 Return yards: 2,453 Total Touchdowns: 5 Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life

King attended East English Village Preparatory Academy in Detroit, Michigan.^[1] He played defensive back and running back for the Bulldogs football team. During his career, he set a Michigan high school record with 29 interceptions.^[2][3] He also set a school record for career rushing yards and had 2,360 as a senior.^[4] King was rated by Rivals.com a three-star recruit and committed to the University of Iowa to play college football.^[5][6]

College career

King attended Iowa under head coach Kirk Ferentz.^[7] As a true freshman at the University of Iowa in 2013, King appeared in all 13 games and made 12 starts.^[8] He was the first true freshman to start at defensive back for Iowa since 2002.^[9] He started all 13 games his sophomore year in 2014 and had 64 tackles and three interceptions.^[10] King returned as a starter his junior year in 2015.^[11] He also became Iowa's punt and kick returner.^[12] After a terrific junior season in which he had 43 tackles, and a Big-Ten high 8 interceptions, King was named a unanimous All-American and won the 2015 Jim Thorpe Award, which is given to the best defensive back in all of college football.^[13] Despite being projected as an early-round pick in the 2016 NFL draft, King announced that he would return to Iowa for his senior season.^[14] On November 29, 2016, King was named First-team All-Big Ten Conference for the second season in a row.^[15] He was also named a 2016 Associated Press Second-team All-American.^[16]

College statistics

Year	Team	GP	Defense
			Tackles	For Loss	Passes Def	Int	FF
2013	Iowa	13	69	3.0	8	0	0
2014	Iowa	13	64	2.0	5	3	0
2015	Iowa	14	72	1.0	13	8	0
2016	Iowa	13	58	3.5	7	3	1
Career		53	263	9.5	33	14	1

Professional career

External videos
Desmond King's NFL Combine Workout

Pre-draft measurables

Height	Weight	Arm length	Hand span	40-yard dash	10-yard split	20-yard split	20-yard shuttle	Three-cone drill	Vertical jump	Broad jump	Bench press
5 ft 9+7⁄8 in (1.77 m)	201 lb (91 kg)	31+1⁄8 in (0.79 m)	9+5⁄8 in (0.24 m)	4.60 s	1.57 s	2.64 s	4.18 s	6.67 s	34 in (0.86 m)	9 ft 9 in (2.97 m)	14 reps
All values from NFL Combine/University of Iowa's Pro Day[17][18]

Los Angeles Chargers

2017 season

The Los Angeles Chargers selected King in the fifth round with the 151st overall pick in the 2017 NFL draft.^[19] He was the 21st cornerback and the last of four Iowa players drafted in 2017.^[20][21]

External videos
Chargers draft Desmond King 151st overall

On May 11, 2017, the Chargers signed King to a four-year, $2.67 million contract that included a signing bonus of $279,992.^[22]

Throughout training camp, King competed for the role as the third cornerback on the depth chart against Trevor Williams, Steve Williams, Craig Mager, and Trovon Reed.^[23] Head coach Anthony Lynn named King the starting nickelback and the fourth cornerback on the depth chart to start the regular season, behind Jason Verrett, Casey Hayward, and Trevor Williams. Special teams coach George Stewart named King the secondary kick returner, along with wide receiver Isaiah Burse.^[24]

He made his professional regular season debut in the Chargers' season-opener at the Denver Broncos and made one pass deflection during their 24–21 loss. Starting cornerback Jason Verrett suffered a torn ACL during the game and was placed on injured reserve for the rest of the season. King was promoted to the third cornerback on the depth chart behind Casey Hayward and Trevor Williams in his absence.^[25] The following week, King earned his first career start as the starting nickelback and collected six combined tackles in a 19–17 loss to the Miami Dolphins. In Week 8, King recorded four solo tackles and made his first career sack on Tom Brady during a 21–13 loss at the New England Patriots. On November 23, 2017, King recorded five solo tackles, a pass break up, and returned his first career interception off Dak Prescott for a 90-yard touchdown during a 28–6 victory at the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving.^[26] On December 10, 2017, King made his fourth career start and made a season-high ten combined tackles, a pass deflection, and sacked Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins during the Chargers' 30–13 victory.^[27] King finished his rookie season in 2017 with 76 combined tackles (66 solo), five pass deflections, and an interception in 12 games and four starts. He also returned 17 kickoffs for 353 yards.^[28] He received an overall grade of 86.5 from Pro Football Focus in 2017, which ranked as the 14th highest grade among all qualifying cornerbacks. His grade was also the third highest among all rookie cornerbacks in 2017.^[29]

2018 season

King entered training camp slated as a backup cornerback, but became the slot cornerback after Jason Verrett tore his Achilles tendon on the first day of training camp. Head coach Anthony Lynn named King the first-team nickelback and third cornerback on the depth chart to begin the regular season, behind starters Casey Hayward and Trevor Williams.^[30]

King in a game against the Tennessee Titans

On October 14, 2018, King recorded two solo tackles, three pass deflections, and intercepted two pass attempts by Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield during a 38–14 victory at the Browns in Week 6.^[31] On November 4, 2018, King made three combined tackles, broke up two pass attempts, and returned an interception for a 42-yard touchdown during a 25–17 win over the Seattle Seahawks in Week 9. King intercepted a pass by Seahawks' quarterback Russell Wilson, which was intended for wide receiver David Moore, during the fourth quarter. His performance in a Week 9 earned him AFC Defensive Player of the Week.^[32] In Week 13, King collected a season-high ten combined tackles (nine solo) and returned a punt for a 73-yard touchdown as the Chargers defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 33–30. He received AFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance.^[33][34] He finished the season with 67 combined tackles (47 solo), ten pass deflections, three interceptions, a forced fumble, and one touchdown in 16 games and eight starts. King also had 22 punt returns for 522 yards (23.7 YPR) and 23 kick returns 318 yards and one touchdown (13.8 YPR).^[35] King received an overall grade of 90.4 from Pro Football Focus in 2018, which ranked as the second highest grade among all cornerbacks.^[36][37] On January 4, 2019, King was named to the Associated Press All-Pro Team, earning first-team accolades as a defensive back and second-team as a punt returner.^[38]

The Chargers finished tied atop the AFC West with a 12–4 record in 2018 and earned a Wild Card berth. On January 6, 2019, King started his first career playoff game and recorded four combined tackles and one sack during the Chargers' 23–17 victory at the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Wild Card Round.^[39]

King with the Houston Texans in 2022.

2019 season

In Week 4 against the Dolphins, King sacked quarterback Josh Rosen 2.5 times in the 30–10 win.^[40] In Week 5 against the Broncos, King returned a punt for a 68-yard touchdown in the 20–13 loss.^[41] In the 2019 season, King finished with 51 total tackles, two passes defended, and one forced fumble.^[42]

Tennessee Titans

On November 2, 2020, King was traded to the Tennessee Titans in exchange for a sixth round pick in the 2021 NFL draft.^[43] King made his debut with the Titans in Week 9 against the Chicago Bears. During the game, King recovered a fumble forced by teammate Jeffery Simmons on David Montgomery and returned it for a 63-yard touchdown during the 24–17 win.^[44] In the 2020 season, he finished with 55 total tackles, two passes defended, and one fumble recovery.^[45]

Houston Texans (first stint)

King signed with the Houston Texans on March 30, 2021.^[46] He was named a starting cornerback in 2021, recording a career-high 93 tackles, six passes defensed, and three interceptions.^[47]

On March 21, 2022, King signed a two-year contract extension with the Texans.^[48] In the 2022 season, he appeared in all 17 games, of which he started 13. He finished with 89 total tackles, two interceptions, and eight passes defended.^[49]

On August 28, 2023, King was released by the Texans as part of final roster cuts.^[50]

Pittsburgh Steelers

On August 31, 2023, King signed with the Steelers.^[51] The Steelers released him on October 18, 2023.^[52]

Houston Texans (second stint)

On November 20, 2023, King was signed to the Texans practice squad.^[53] He was signed to the active roster on November 29, 2023.^[54]

On March 12, 2024, King signed a one-year contract extension with the Texans.^[55] He was released on August 27, and later re-signed to the practice squad.^[56][57] He was released on November 12.

Baltimore Ravens

On November 19, 2024, King was signed to the Baltimore Ravens practice squad.^[58]

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Year	Team	Games		Tackles				Fumbles				Interceptions						Punt returns					Kickoff returns
		GP	GS	Comb	Solo	Ast	Sack	FF	FR	Yds	TD	Int	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD	PD	Ret	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD	Ret	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD
2017	LAC	16	4	76	66	10	4.0	0	0	0	0	1	90	90.0	90T	1	5	1	2	2.0	2	0	17	353	20.8	44	0
2018	LAC	16	8	62	47	15	0.0	1	2	0	0	3	75	25.0	42T	1	10	23	318	13.8	73T	1	22	522	23.7	40	0
2019	LAC	15	8	51	40	11	2.5	1	2	13	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	2	21	118	5.6	68T	1	16	331	20.7	43	0
2020	LAC	6	3	24	19	5	1.0	0	0	0	0	—	—	—	—	—	0	6	17	2.8	7	0	—	—	—	—	—
	TEN	9	5	31	21	10	1.0	0	1	63	1	0	0	0.0	0	0	2	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2021	HOU	16	12	93	78	25	0.0	1	0	0	0	3	25	8.3	25	0	6	17	154	9.1	20	0	1	27	27.0	27	0
2022	HOU	17	13	89	59	30	0.0	0	2	20	0	2	30	15.0	29	0	8	33	309	9.4	31	0	1	50	50.0	50	0
2023	PIT	3	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	—	—	—	—	—	0	—	—	—	—	—	4	88	22.0	27	0
	HOU	7	3	47	22	25	1.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	2	8	101	12.6	22	0	1	23	23.0	23	0
2024	HOU	1	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	—	—	—	—	—	0	2	2	1.0	2	0	—	—	—	—	—
	BAL	2	0	3	2	1	0.0	0	0	0	0	—	—	—	—	—	0	3	38	12.7	22	0	—	—	—	—	—
Career		108	56	476	344	132	9.5	3	7	96	1	9	220	24.4	90	2	35	114	1,049	9.2	73	2	62	1,394	22.5	50	0

References

1. Williams, Eric D. (November 13, 2018). "Chargers' Desmond King is feisty, 'instinctive football player'". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
2. Morehouse, Marc (February 2, 2012). "Hello, my name is...CB Desmond King". The Gazette. Retrieved August 2, 2019.
3. Nelson, Jim (October 9, 2015). "Iowa football: King the man in the right place at right times". Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
4. Brown, Rick (November 25, 2015). "Desmond King: A story of thanks, tragedy and record-setting success". Hawk Central. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
5. "Desmond King, 2013 Cornerback". Rivals.com. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
6. Harty, Pat (January 27, 2013). "Record-breaking Detroit cornerback commits to Iowa". Hawk Central. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
7. Batterson, Steve (August 27, 2016). "Desmond King prepares to complete unfinished business at Iowa". The Quad-City Times. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
8. Payne, Danny (September 25, 2014). "King of a long road". The Daily Iowan. Archived from the original on September 25, 2014. Retrieved October 19, 2015.
9. Brown, Rick (August 4, 2014). "Desmond King success story was told once before". Des Moines Register. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
10. Morehouse, Marc (August 27, 2015). "No. 3 – CB Desmond King". The Gazette. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
11. Leistikow, Chad (October 5, 2015). "Desmond King honored, on a 'different level' this year". Hawk Central. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
12. Leistikow, Chad (September 28, 2015). "Desmond King experiment has given Hawkeyes 'a spark'". Hawk Central. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
13. Leistikow, Chad (December 10, 2015). "Iowa's Desmond King captures Jim Thorpe Award". Hawk Central. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
14. Sherman, Mitch (January 5, 2016). "Thorpe Award winner Desmond King will return to Iowa Hawkeyes". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
15. "2016 Big Ten Individual Award Winners" (PDF). www.grfx.cstv.com. Big Ten Conference. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 29, 2016. Retrieved November 30, 2016.
16. "2016 AP All-America Team". AP.org. Associated Press. December 12, 2016. Retrieved November 30, 2017.
17. "Desmond King Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved February 20, 2018.
18. "HawkeyeReport - King hits mark in 40 yard dash".
19. Henne, Ricky (April 29, 2017). "Chargers Draft Ball-Hawking DB Desmond King". Chargers.com. Retrieved May 3, 2017.
20. "2017 NFL Draft Listing". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
21. "Iowa Drafted Players/Alumni". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
22. "Spotrac.com: Desmond King contract". Spotrac.com. Retrieved February 20, 2018.
23. Wakerman, Travis (July 12, 2017). "Chargers Bubble Watch: Will Craig Mager be on the outside looking in?". Bolt Beat. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
24. "Ourlads.com: Los Angeles Chargers' depth chart: 10/01/2017". Ourlads.com. Retrieved February 20, 2018.
25. Digiovanna, Mike (September 15, 2017). "Chargers make cornerback Jason Verrett rest his injured left knee, which is still not 100%". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 20, 2018.
26. "Rivers, Chargers beat fading Cowboys 28–6 on Thanksgiving". ESPN.com. Associated Press. November 23, 2017. Retrieved November 30, 2017.
27. "Washington Redskins at Los Angeles Chargers - December 10th, 2017". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
28. "Desmond King 2017 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
29. Moy, William (February 12, 2018). "Chargers' CB Desmond King thrives as a slot CB". profootballfocus.com. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
30. Stanley, Matthew (September 4, 2018). "Chargers release first "unofficial" depth chart". Bolts from the Blue. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
31. "Los Angeles Chargers at Cleveland Browns – October 14th, 2018". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
32. "Kareem Hunt, Michael Thomas among Players of the Week". NFL.com. November 7, 2018. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
33. Newby, John (December 2, 2018). "Desmond King scores punt-return touchdown". 247sports.com. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
34. Elwood, Hayley (December 5, 2018). "Desmond King Named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week". Chargers.com. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
35. "Desmond King 2018 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
36. "Pro Football Focus: Desmond King". profootballfocus.com. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
37. Goss, Nick (January 2, 2019). "Patriots' Stephon Gilmore was PFF's highest graded NFL cornerback in 2018". NBCSports.com. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
38. "2018 AP All-Pro Team Rosters and Voting". AP NEWS. January 4, 2019. Retrieved August 2, 2019.
39. "Wild Card - Los Angeles Chargers at Baltimore Ravens - January 6th, 2019". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
40. "Long time coming: Rivers, Chargers beat Dolphins, 30–10". ESPN.com. Associated Press. September 29, 2019. Retrieved September 29, 2019.
41. "Lindsay helps give Broncos' Fangio first win as coach". ESPN.com. Associated Press. October 6, 2019. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
42. "Desmond King 2019 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
43. Smith, Michael David (November 2, 2020). "Chargers trade Desmond King to Titans". ProFootballTalk. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
44. "Chicago Bears at Tennessee Titans – November 8th, 2020". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
45. "Desmond King 2020 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
46. "Houston Texans Transactions (3-30-2021)". HoustonTexans.com. March 30, 2021. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
47. "Desmond King 2021 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
48. "Houston Texans Transactions (3-21-2022)". HoustonTexans.com. March 21, 2022. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
49. "Desmond King 2022 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
50. Bien-Aime, DJ (August 28, 2023). "Sources: Texans cut veteran CB Desmond King, LB Christian Kirksey". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
51. "Steelers sign King, add four to practice squad". Steelers.com. August 31, 2023.
52. Varley, Teresa (October 18, 2023). "Steelers sign Rush". Steelers.com. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
53. Lane, Mark. "Texans sign CB Desmond King to the practice squad". Texans Wire. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
54. "Houston Texans Transactions (11-29-2023)". HoustonTexans.com. November 29, 2023.
55. Williams, Charean (March 9, 2024). "Report: Desmond King, Eric Murray staying with Texans on one-year deals". Pro Football Talk. NBC Sports.
56. "Houston Texans Transactions (08-27-2024)". HoustonTexans.com. August 27, 2024.
57. "Houston Texans Transactions (09-11-2024)". HoustonTexans.com. September 11, 2024.
58. Mink, Ryan (November 19, 2024). "Ravens Sign Former All-Pro Defensive Back to Practice Squad". BaltimoreRavens.com.

External links

• Career statistics from ESPN · Yahoo Sports · Pro Football Reference
• Desmond King on Twitter
• Baltimore Ravens bio
• Iowa Hawkeyes bio