Tag: Desmond King

Forward progress call that robbed Desmond King’s touchdown might be worst of the year

Texans cornerback Desmond King had a fumble return for a touchdown against the Broncos, until Shawn Smith’s crew made an inexcusable ruling to rob it.

As bad as NFL officiating has been this season — and it’s bad enough that Roger Goodell had better do something about it — there’s a long list of entrants for the worst call of the 2023 campaign. That said, the forward progress call that robbed Houston Texans cornerback Desmond King of a fumble return touchdowns in Houston’s Sunday game against the Denver Broncos might take the booby prize.

With 7:24 left in the third quarter, Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson threw a short pass to running back Samaje Perine, and it certainly looked as if King stripped the ball and returned it for a touchdown.

Not so fast, as referee Shawn Smith’s crew determined that Perine’s forward progress had been stopped, and therefore, it was not a fumble. You’d have a tough time finding any evidence of that on the field. CBS rules analyst and former NFL referee Gene Steratore agreed. As Steratore is generally inclined to give his ex-comrades the benefit of the doubt, this was a definitive statement.

It might be nice if forward progress was reviewable in this case. It might also be nice if NFL officials would stop deflating games with their outright incompetence.

Texans waive Shaq Griffin, elevate Desmond King amongst flurry of transactions

The Texans made several roster moves on Wednesday, including the decision to waive Shaq Griffin

The Houston Texans are making moves.

The team stayed busy on Wednesday afternoon following an announcement that right tackle Tytus Howard, stationed at left guard for most of the 2023 campaign, is going to miss the remainder of the regular season with a knee injury.

Shortly after the announcement, Houston waived cornerback Shaq Griffin. Griffin started multiple contests for the Texans this season in the absence of Derek Stingley but had played zero snaps at corner the last two games after his interception of Joe Burrow in the Week 10 win over Cincinnati.

After that, it was a series of roster formalities for Houston around the rest of their team. Altogether, they made the following moves:

  • Waived CB Shaq Griffin
  • Placed RT Tytus Howard on Injured Reserve
  • Signed CB Desmond King to the 53-man roster
  • Reinstated LB Denzel Perryman following his 3 game suspension
  • Signed K Matt Ammendola to the practice squad
  • Signed LB Garrett Wallow to the practice squad

Perryman and Ammendola are expected to resume their starting positions at middle linebacker and kicker, respectively, for the team’s game against the Denver Broncos on Sunday. King, who was with Houston in the pre-season, may be asked to assist Tavierre Thomas at the nickel cornerback position as he gets up to speed with the defense.

CB Desmond King sees rejoining Texans as ‘fresh start’

In returning to the Houston Texans, cornerback Desmond King sees a fresh start in a familiar place.

As Houston Texans cornerback Tavierre Thomas sat down at his locker, he was greeted by an old friend who didn’t speak a word. He just gave Thomas a look, and both men erupted in laughter, keeping the reporters in attendance in suspense, wondering what the inside joke was all about.

That camaraderie was something that Thomas had missed after defensive back Desmond King was surprisingly cut at the conclusion of training camp this past summer after spending the prior two seasons with the Texans. The Pittsburgh Steelers quickly added him to their roster, hoping to use his unique skill set to help them get through the rough AFC North, but after three games, including one against the Texans, the Steelers released him.

King, 28, went to San Diego, California, to train and keep himself in shape while spending time with his one-year-old daughter. When that call came from his agent that Houston wanted to sign him to the practice squad and bring him back home, King was ready to come back to the franchise, where he started 25 of 33 games, recording 182 tackles and five interceptions.

“I am excited to be back,” King said after practice on Wednesday. “That’s all that matters. Giving me a second chance here to come back and be with the family; I missed these guys so much. Just to see them doing well, it’s good to be back in a good presence with them.

“I feel like this is an opportunity for me just to come out here and play ball. Not to think too much about it and come here with a clear mind. Like I have said before, this is a fresh start; just go in and do what I do best, and that is play football.”

Although King was not a part of the team, he kept up with his former teammates from a distance, watching the amount of success they were having and keeping themselves in a position to win the AFC South title.

“I was still watching even when I was away; I was still watching the guys and still rooting for them,” King said. “It’s good just to see them doing well and being a part of the family.”

The Texans recognized King and Thomas’s bond on and off the field as they talked continuously about football and life. So, when King returned, they placed his locker next to Thomas’s so the bond could continue growing.

“It is great to have him back,” Thomas said. “He is very versatile and will help me out a lot. He is going to help the back end out a lot in general because he can play all positions. Just having him back is a blessing. That is my brother, and anytime I can play with my brother, I am happy.”

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Texans sign CB Desmond King to the practice squad

The Houston Texans have signed cornerback Desmond King to the practice squad.

The Houston Texans are going with a familiar face to help out in the secondary.

The Texans signed corner Desmond King to the practice squad Monday. Houston previously rostered King from 2021-22 wherein the former Pro Bowler played 33 games for the Texans. King collected 182 combined tackles, 11 tackles for loss, two quarterback hits, five interceptions, 14 pass breakups, a forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries while with the Texans.

Houston released King at the end of preseason, and he spent three games with the Pittsburgh Steelers primarily as their kick returner. King returned four kickoffs for 88 yards. King logged one defensive snap compared to 15 special teams snaps.

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Iowa legend coming back as honorary captain for Hawkeyes vs. Rutgers

Iowa has an abundance of legends that have worn the black and gold. One of those legends will be the honorary captain versus Rutgers.

Some are believers that the presence of greatness can elevate others. For the Iowa Hawkeyes, they are hopeful that can be the case this Saturday as they host the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in a massive tilt with Big Ten West implications on the line for the Hawkeyes.

Everyone knows that Iowa produces NFL-caliber tight ends like an assembly line at a factory. One position group that they also consistently pump out talent from is the secondary, be it safeties or cornerbacks.

One of those talents will be back this Saturday inside Kinnick Stadium. Desmond King will be the honorary captain.

King’s career at Iowa is up there among the best that have been through the program. his career is littered with awards and recognition. At Iowa, he totaled 263 tackles, 47 pass breakups, and 14 interceptions.

Desmond King was first-team All-Big Ten in 2015 and 2016, a unanimous All-American in 2016, the Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year in 2015, and the Jim Thorpe Award winner in 2015. King went on the be drafted by the Los Angeles Chargers. In 2018, he was a first-team All-Pro.

Iowa has continued its ways of producing outstanding defensive talent to follow in King’s footsteps. For Hawkeye fans, they may be hoping that his presence can bring some ball-hawking this Saturday.

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Steelers work out handful of free agent cornerbacks

The Steelers continue to look for answers at cornerback this season.

The Pittsburgh Steelers announced they had released cornerback Desmond King and in his place signed cornerback Darius Rush off of the Kansas City Chiefs practice squad. In addition, the Steelers also worked out four more free-agent cornerbacks.

The list of cornerbacks included former Tampa Bay Buccaneer Don Gardner, veteran BoPete Keys who last played for the Cleveland Browns, former sixth-round pick Rachad Wildgoose and rookie Rezjohn Wright. Does this mean the Steelers are still in the market for another cornerback or will they be satisfied with just adding Rush?

In all likelihood, if the Steelers sign any of these free agents, it will simply be to add to the practice squad.

The Steelers secondary had been inconsistent all season. Despite the addition of Patrick Peterson and Chandrick Sullivan, this group has taken a step back from last season. Hopefully the team will turn to rookie Joey Porter Jr. soon to help add a spark to the defense down the stretch.

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Report: Steelers CB Desmond King on his way out of Pittsburgh

We hardly knew ya, Desmond King.

Desmond King posted to X, “WELP ONTO THE NEXT,” and moments later, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero added some context behind the tweet: The Pittsburgh Steelers would release the cornerback if a trade couldn’t be arranged.

Pittsburgh signed King, a 2017 fifth-round pick by the Chargers, in August after he was cut from the Houston Texans.

Despite the Steelers’ secondary being one of the worst in the NFL, the sole defensive snap King managed was a touchdown to Baltimore Ravens running back Justice Hill in Week 5. He was primarily used for kick returns, on which he had four for 88 yards. With Anthony McFarland’s expected return to the 53-man roster, King’s services are no longer needed.

Once the Steelers activate McFarland from injured reserve, a corresponding roster move will be necessary.

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3 surprising cuts the Houston Texans made

Here are three surprise cuts the Houston Texans made in the summation of @johnhcrumpler

On Tuesday afternoon, general manager Nick Caserio and head coach DeMeco Ryans were required to cut Houston’s roster down to 53 players. As such, the team saw a flurry of transactions as over 1,000 players from around the league were either waived or released after the preseason period.

It’s been 48 hours and Houston was able to use their waiver position to add two players to the roster, former Buffalo Bills Alex Austin and Nick Broeker, which means the roster is largely set for their Week 1 matchup against the Baltimore Ravens.

With time for reflection, who were the most surprising cuts for the Houston Texans?

7 recently cut players the Bears should consider adding

Whether it’s another backup quarterback or help at punt returner, here are a few players the Bears should consider adding

The Chicago Bears 2023 initial roster was finally set on Tuesday afternoon as general manager Ryan Poles made the necessary cuts to get the team down to 53 players. It likely won’t stay that way for long, however.

Like the Bears, the rest of the NFL trimmed their rosters down, with hundreds of players hitting the waiver wire, able to be claimed and brought onto a new team. Chicago has top priority, though, meaning they will automatically get any player they put a claim on who passes through waivers.

Poles was busy this time last year, as the Bears claimed a total of seven players at various positions. With top priority, will they match or exceed that number? Given some of the cuts and releases that have been made that include fairly high-profile players, they could be busy. Teams have until 11 a.m. CT on Wednesday to submit claims.

Here are a few names the Bears should consider who have either hit the waiver wire or become free agents within the last couple of days.

5 cornerbacks the Vikings can sign after initial cuts

With only five cornerbacks on the roster, @TheKevinFielder looks at who the Vikings could target

As the Minnesota Vikings began to cut their roster to 53 players, a gaping hole was left at the cornerback position.

As the clock struck 3 P.M. central time, the Vikings only had five cornerbacks on their roster: Byron Murphy Jr., Mekhi Blackmon, Akayleb Evans, Andrew Booth Jr., and NaJee Thompson.

Considering that Thompson has only played a handful of snaps at cornerback in college, the Vikings only have four out-and-out cornerbacks. While the Vikings could run into next season with that group, the injury history of Booth should bring concern to that front.

As a result, the Vikings are likely window-shopping the waiver wire and free agency to find another reliable option for the room. Here are x options that could help fill the position out for the start of the season.