Texans Re-Sign Former Steelers CB Desmond King

The Houston Texans are re-signing former Steelers cornerback Desmond King to a one-year, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston. Pittsburgh released King back in October and brought in Darius Rush. Since that move, King stayed with Houston on their practice squad and was elevated at first, but finished strong during the entire season with the Texans.

King only played in one defensive snap with the Steelers. He was inactive for several games, but once injuries piled up at kick returner, King took over as the starting kick returner in Week 3 after injuries to Anthony McFarland and Gunner Olszewski.

King, 28, played over 900 snaps for the Houston Texans in the last two seasons and did it relatively well, especially in 2022, when he had an 89.2 passer rating when targeted per Pro Football Focus.

Steelers DB Desmond King against the Baltimore Ravens, Oct. 8, 2023 – Ed Thompson / Steelers Now

A fifth-round pick of the Los Angeles Chargers in 2017, King was a contributor right away as a rookie and has played at least 15 games in his five NFL seasons. King became a part-time starter in his second season and continued that role until he was traded to the Tennessee Titans mid-season in 2020. 

A free agent in 2021, he signed a one-year deal with Houston, which made him the Texans’ starting slot cornerback. Before last season, he signed a two-year contract extension and played well, setting a career-high in total snaps played, adding 103 snaps of special teams to his 918 of defense. He finished fourth on the Houston defense with 89 tackles and had two interceptions and two fumble recoveries.

King said he always wanted to play for Pittsburgh once he signed with the team due to his perception of Mike Tomlin. However, after weeks of preparation, he never got a consistent workload on the field. On his lone defensive snap, King took a bad angle and allowed Ravens running back Justice Hill to scamper into the endzone for a touchdown. After that, he never played for Pittsburgh again, and now lands elsewhere.