The Pittsburgh Steelers signed CB Desmond King II ahead of the regular season, but King hasn’t had much of a role as he gets familiar with the system. He’s played just 13 snaps, all of them coming on special teams. During his press conference today, defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said he thinks King might be ready for defensive snaps on Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens.
“I think he’s getting more comfortable in our system, and I think that line in the depth chart represents the fact he’s had some growth here with us and learning our system and he’s probably ready to go,” Austin said via Mike Prisuta of Steelers.com.
Austin added that there’s a chance King has a big role on Sunday.
“What his role will be on Sunday, could be small, could be large, all depends on what happens in the game, how the game unfolds,” he said.
King is listed as a co-starter with CB Chandon Sullivan at nickel corner on Pittsburgh’s updated depth chart, signifying that he’s probably going to see some time in the slot. Last season with the Houston Texans, King had 334 snaps in the slot, and it’s a role he’s played throughout his career.
While he’s capable of playing outside, the Steelers don’t seem to have any intention of making a change to their top three outside corners, with Levi Wallace and Patrick Peterson starting and Joey Porter Jr. coming in on obvious passing downs as the dime corner. The division of labor between Sullivan and King remains to be seen, and Austin said that’ll be determined on Sunday as the game plays out.
King’s been a productive player throughout his career, and with the secondary struggling, he could provide a nice lift to a unit in serious need of a jolt. Wallace and Peterson in particular have struggled, so maybe King can provide some juice and make some plays in the secondary.
Sunday is a pivotal game for the Steelers, and with the Ravens sporting a new-look offense under offensive coordinator Todd Monken, they’re going to look to throw the ball more. It’s going to be important for the defensive backs to step up and play better than they have for most of this season.
King was a signing that I was excited about, and now that he’s familiar with Pittsburgh’s defense, I’m definitely looking forward to see what he can do on the field.
