A day after setting their initial 53-man active roster, the Pittsburgh Steelers began to tweak it by reportedly signing versatile former All-Pro cornerback Desmond King.
The NFL Network reported the deal, and details on term of value were not yet available.
Entering his seventh NFL season, King was released by the Houston Texans this week after playing in all 17 games and starting 13 for them last season. The 28-year-old King has appeared in 95 NFL games with 53 starts for the Los Angeles Chargers, Tennessee Titans and Texans.
King was a first-team AP All-Pro for the Chargers in 2018, when he was involved in four takeaways, including a touchdown on an interception return (one of three defensive TDs in his career). He also earned second-team All-Pro honors for his punt return abilities that season. King, who remained Houston’s primary punt returner through last season, has two career punt-return touchdowns.
While the bulk of the 5-foot-10, 200-pound King’s work on defense during the pros has come from the slot/nickel spot, King also has extensive experience playing the outside corner. In 2022, King was Houston’s primary inside cornerback for their first eight games but moved to the outside for their final nine.
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In 2021, the majority of King’s play was as an outside corner but for the first four-plus seasons of his career he was at the nickel.
Among the 75 cornerbacks who played the most defensive snaps in the NFL last season, King was graded the 17th-best by Pro Football Focus.
The Steelers kept two punters on their initial 53-man roster when final cuts were announced Tuesday afternoon, a clear signal that they intended on adding a player from the outside the organization. Braden Mann was released Wednesday, leaving an open roster spot for King.
Cornerback was the thinnest spot on the Steelers roster, with right outside cornerback Levi Wallace the lone sure thing to start. Veteran Patrick Peterson will have a role, but at age 33 might not be an everydown outside cornerback anymore. Joey Porter Jr. has shown immense promise and potential but is only a rookie. Chandon Sullivan and Elijah Riley made the team in part to handle a nickel/slot role, but neither distinguished himself as the obvious starter.
James Pierre made the initial active roster as the final defensive back in his fourth NFL season, but his job and/or role could be in jeopardy after the addition of King.
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