Following the 53-man roster deadline, the Pittsburgh Steelers have signed cornerback Desmond King II. So, I will continue the series by looking at data of his 2022 season in coverage, including current and recent Steelers for comparative context. Using data from Sports Info Solutions (SIS), I will take a similar approach to the article I did earlier this offseason, and today’s focus will primarily be on King.
Let’s get right to it, starting with 2022 coverage snaps and targets to get a gauge of the quantity of plays comparatively:
King was on the field quite a bit for the Houston Texans last season, playing in all 17 games with 492 coverage snaps, which tied for 31st among 115 qualifying cornerbacks (minimum of 25 targets). We can see the former All-Pro in 2018 was one of the least targeted (32) for his opportunities at the position (T-93rd), highlighted by the trendline. Encouraging and important context as we dive deeper.
Here’s how King was utilized by alignment, along with the other focused players rates per Pro Football Focus (PFF):
We can see that King was utilized most versatilely, namely his wide and slot splits. The other takeaway is his highest alignment on the d-line (4 percent), which is notable since the departed Arthur Maulet was the only player close to that (3.5 percent). That is a nice tease to a future article, he has welcomed ability as a pass rusher.
Other important context is man vs. zone, so here are those rates:
King played in zone coverage at a whopping 66.5 percent in 2022, the most of the group by far. He was the only new addition to play more than 20 percent in man as well, and it will be interesting to see how the 2023 Steelers man/zone rates compare to last season, and of course how the unit fares.
Now let’s begin to examine the quality of play with completion percentage and deserved catch percentage, which is the number of completions and drops divided by the number of catchable targets and passes defensed:
Here we see King was just below the mean with a 56.3 allowed completion rate (T-63rd), and was slightly above average with a 75.0 deserved catch percentage (T-50th). Neither number is staggering, but being the only player above the trendline is encouraging, meaning some of the catches he allowed were more difficult for receivers, and could possibly lead to better results in 2023.
Next, let’s look at the yardage of the targets with yards per attempt and yards per game:
Best results for King thus far, tying with three cornerbacks for the top rank in yards per coverage snap in 2022. His 5.6 yards per attempt was also well above average and tied for 18th. His quick tackling should prove very valuable to Pittsburgh’s secondary, and is very encouraging when recalling his alignment versatility as well.
Another stat that is used often to evaluate defenders in coverage is QBR Against (factors in completions, yards, touchdowns, and interceptions), so let’s see how they fare along with Wins Above Replacement (WAR) which is a points above replacement scale conversion that is based on the scoring environment:
Well above average in both data points once again, King had a 56.8 QBR Against last season that ranked respectably at 17th, along with his WAR result tying for 25th. This came on two interceptions, five pass breakups, 18 completions allowed, with 28 of his 32 targets deemed catchable by SIS, impressively. He did drop one interception and allowed a touchdown, not bad given his snap opportunities.
To close, let’s look at SIS’s Boom and Bust percentages to see the rates of big plays allowed or made in coverage.
- Boom % = The percentage of dropbacks that resulted in an EPA of 1 or more (a very successful play for the offense)
- Bust % = The percentage of dropbacks that resulted in an EPA of -1 of less (a very unsuccessful play for the offense)
King is the only current Steeler to land above the mean in both data points. He fared best in bust rate (21.9 percent), ranking 28th in unsuccessful offensive plays, along with a matching boom rate that ranked 33rd (limiting big plays from opposing offenses).
So, the coverage findings on King were very solid overall. He tied for the league lead last season in yards per coverage snap, along with strong marks in QBR Against (17th), yards per attempt (T-18th), WAR (T-25th), bust rate (28th), coverage snaps (T-31st), and boom rate (33rd).
King was slightly above league average in deserved catch percentage (T-50th), compared to an allowed completion rate that tied for 63rd. This emphasizes some difficult plays made by receivers in comparison to his peers, and was targeted at one of the lowest rates given his opportunities (T-93rd).
King provided nice versatility in terms of alignment, primarily on the outside the last two years, but had the second-most slot snaps of current Steelers last season, and played there primarily his first four years. This experience aligns with his likely role in 2023, and could fill the huge void of vacated snaps from last season. The former All-Pro in 2018 also has special teams value, including 69 punt returns in 2022 (career high) and over 200 in his six years to date.
A concern I’m eager to see play out is his high rate of zone coverage (66.5 percent), though he did play more man than the other 2023 additions, which the Steelers have played quite a bit. Exciting addition, and hopefully his transition to the black and gold goes swimmingly.
One thing’s for sure, can’t wait to see how it pans out, and stay tuned for other studies on him soon.
