For as much turnover as there has been from one year to the next for the Pittsburgh Steelers, it is remarkable how much this particular roster feels like a “Steelers” team. Whether through the draft or trade or veteran free agency, they’ve managed to stock this team with players who embody what they view as their brand of football.
Contributing to and strengthening that identity is a long list of newcomers to the organization, from veterans like ILBs Elandon Roberts and Kwon Alexander to WR Allen Robinson II and OL Isaac Seumalo, to rookie draft picks like TE Darnell Washington and OLB Nick Herbig.
Even the latest member of the 53-man roster fits that profile. Indeed, it’s the bill of goods head coach Mike Tomlin told veteran CB Desmond King II before the latter agreed to sign with the Steelers, which is something he doesn’t sound like he needed to be sold on.
“Just the kind of player I am. It’s the perfect fit for me”, King told reporters yesterday, via the team’s website, when asked what Tomlin’s message to him was before signing. “He said, ‘You’re the type of player that needs to be in this organization. You play fast, tackle well, and you’re physical. As long as you want to win, this is where you want to be’”.
Add his name to the long and growing list of veteran free agents whose early affinity for the Steelers pre-dates their entrance into the NFL. King met with the team during the NFL Scouting Combine and later during the pre-draft process talked about how he would be a fit in their defense in particular.
Six years later, he is finally back in the Black and Gold (having graduated from Iowa, naturally), and ready to contribute to the Steelers’ cause. For his part, he said that he has plenty of time to soak up the defense and be ready to contribute as soon as they want him to.
And there’s reason to believe that he would be capable of taking the field and playing effectively even though he only signed with the team less than a week ago. He’s done the quick turnaround before. In 2022, he was traded from the Los Angeles Chargers to the Tennessee Titans in-season. He played 54 snaps the next week, his second-highest total for a single game up to that point in the season.
Not that Pittsburgh necessarily needs him to contribute, at least right away. They already have Patrick Peterson, Levi Wallace, and rookie Joey Porter Jr. at cornerback, along with slot options like Chandon Sullivan.
But one would imagine King can quickly find himself moving up the depth chart, even if only as the sixth defensive back, depending on how serious the Steelers are about working Peterson extensively in the slot.
