Newly-acquired Tennessee Titans defensive back Desmond King made quite the first impression in his debut during the Week 9 win over the Chicago Bears.
King totaled two tackles, but more importantly recovered a fumble forced by defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons and took it 63 yards to the house for a touchdown to give the Titans a 17-0 lead on a day when their offense was struggling to score.
King also played significant snaps in the slot and provided solid coverage, and his performance was made more impressive by the fact that he didn’t have a full practice under his belt, but rather only Zoom meetings and a walk-through.
THE NEW GUY! @blaqbadger14
đź“ş: Watch #CHIvsTEN on FOX pic.twitter.com/tQyO8AJHUA
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) November 8, 2020
King says he was excited when he learned about the trade and noted that the Titans are like a family, and one that he’s happy to be part of, according to Jim Wyatt of Titans Online..
“When I heard about the trade, I absolutely loved it. I knew it was going to be a great opportunity for me,” King said. “It was already a great defense and adding me to it made it even better.
“It’s a family around here, and these guys are here to play football, and I am here to play football as well — I love to play football and you can see it out there when we’re playing as a team. Just to have an opportunity to come play with these guys, it is definitely a blessing.”
King also talked about the challenge of having to make his debut without regular preparation and with the Titans needing him to contribute right away thanks to numerous injuries to the secondary.
“Everybody gets challenged with something,” King said. “You have to have a positive mindset, and use it as motivation. And I think that is what I did. I had to step up to the plate, and I think I came out with a great outcome at the end of the day.”
The former Los Angeles Charger, who was acquired in a trade right before the deadline, said he was able to pick things up fast, partly with the help of safety Amani Hooker and cornerback Malcolm Butler, and partly because of the approach the Titans took to get him situated.
Desmond King said he was able to come in and catch on so fast in part because Mike Vrabel implored #Titans players to approach it like as if everyone was new, not just one new player coming in. King cited familiarity w/guys like Malcolm Butler and Amani Hooker as help. #Titans
— TURRON DAVENPORT (@TDavenport_NFL) November 8, 2020
Things should only get better from here once King gets more of a grasp of the defense in the weeks ahead.
Titans fans should be excited to see what the team’s secondary can do once King, Butler and Adoree’ Jackson are on the field together.
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