Tag: Desmond King

5 things to know about CB Chris Harris Jr.

Get familiar with the Chargers newest addition.

The Chargers agreed to a two-year deal with cornerback Chris Harris Jr. on Wednesday.

In order to get familiar with the veteran corner, here are five things to know:

Polished college resume

Harris spent four years at the University of Kansas, where he received a handful of honors and awards for his efforts, which included KU defensive back of the year (2010), Freshman All-America Honorable Mention, Big 12 Defensive Newcomer of the Year and All-Big 12 Freshman Team (2007).

Defied the odds

In 2011, Harris was a long shot to making the Broncos roster after going undrafted. He made the final roster and was named the fourth cornerback on the depth chart behind the likes of Pro Bowler Champ Bailey. After injuries occurred throughout the season, he moved up the depth chart and eventually earned a permanent starting job. Harris finished his rookie campaign with 72 tackles, six passes defensed, and one interception in 16 games and four starts. He was named to the Pro Football Writers of America’s All-Rookie Team.

Injury history

Harris doesn’t have a lengthy injury report for someone that has played at least 15 games in eight of his nine seasons. He suffered a torn ACL in 2013 and a broken fibula late in the 2018 season.

Cream of the crop

Harris has been regarded as arguably the NFL’s best slot cornerback within the best decade, earning four Pro Bowl selections and a First Team All-Pro nomination in 2016. Denver’s secondary which was regarded as “No Fly Zone” ranked among the league’s top five in passes defensed in 2015, 2016 and 2017. He has 20 interceptions, 86 passes defensed, 6 forced fumbles and 4.5 sacks in his career.

How he fits with Chargers

With the addition of Harris it’s uncertain if he will play on the outside or in the slot. He played on the outside last season, but he struggled against the league’s best receivers, allowing 731 yards and four touchdowns as opposing quarterbacks had a 114.3 passer rating when targeting him. I believe he will he will move back to his natural position in the slot to shore up a slot coverage unit that was third-worst in completion percentage above expectation last season on slot targets, per Next Gen Stats.

As for Desmond King who has manned the slot the past few seasons, the team could use him in a couple of roles if Harris will be starting inside. They could play him outside, as he has proven to be reliable in that role in college or he could be used as a dime linebacker, which is what Adrian Phillips played, where he will have more responsibilities as a blizter. Or, they could ultimately bank on Harris thriving as an outside corner in defensive coordinator Gus Bradley’s Cover 3 scheme while King stays inside.

Colts select CB Desmond King in 2017 re-draft

How different might the 2017 NFL draft be?

The 2017 NFL draft was Chris Ballard’s first as general manager of the Indianapolis Colts, and they were ecstatic when safety Malik Hooker fell to their spot in the middle of the first round.

But would Hooker still be the pick for the Colts three years later? According to Pro Football Focus and their re-draft of the 2017 class, the answer would be no. But they did stay with a defensive back selection.

In Pro Football Focus’ 2017 re-draft, the Colts went with cornerback Desmond King:

15. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS: CB DESMOND KING II

Previous Pick: S Malik Hooker

King was fantastic across his first two seasons with overall grades of 85.7 in 2017 and 88.6 in 2018. That fell to 69.4 this past season, but it was still good enough to rank 37th among 114 qualifying cornerbacks. The Chiefs and the 49ers were the two most efficient teams in the NFL when targeting the slot this season, and the fact that those two teams were Super Bowl representatives is no mistake. The best teams in the NFL have gotten good at attacking the slot, so teams have to be able to counter with players who can limit production inside. That’s exactly what King provides.

King has had an excellent career since joining the Chargers as a fifth-round pick. He’s had an impact in the passing game with four interceptions and 17 passes defended in three seasons while also recording 6.5 sacks and 14 tackles for loss.

The Colts have been happy with Hooker when he’s on the field, but the 2019 season proved that they need to see more from the Ohio State product. They weren’t unhappy by any means, but Ballard did mention how he thought Hooker tailed off at the end of the season.

Hooker wound up going to the New York Giants in this re-draft, rather than the selection of tight end Evan Engram.

Chargers CB Desmond King ruled out vs. Vikings

The Los Angeles Chargers will be without their starting slot cornerback against the Minnesota Vikings.

The Los Angeles Chargers have ruled out cornerback Desmond King for the Week 15 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings for non-injury related reasons.

This is one week after linebacker Denzel Perryman and safety Roderic Teamer were sent home from Jacksonville over a missing a team meeting. The reason why King was downgraded is unknown at the moment.

King’s absence just so happens to come at the same time as wide receiver Adam Thielen returning from an injury. Thielen does the majority of his work in the slot, which is where King lines up.

King also serves as the team’s return specialist. But with him out, running back Troymaine Pope will likely resume the duties.

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