Pittsburgh Steelers expected to sign former Texans CB Desmond King to 53-man roster

Veteran NFL cornerback Desmond King will reportedly sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers, according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport.

The Steelers are slated to be the fourth team of King’s career after he was drafted by the Los Angeles Chargers in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL Draft out of Iowa. King was First-Team All-Pro in 2018.

He’ll get a fresh start this fall after spending the last two seasons with the Houston Texans.

In the middle of his fourth season with the Chargers, the team traded King to the Tennessee Titans in November of 2020 for a sixth round pick. He would sign with the Texans after the season.

In his career, King has 426 total tackles, 320 solo tackles, 8.5 sacks, nine interceptions, 33 pass deflections, three forced fumbles, seven fumble recoveries and three defensive touchdowns.

King played four season at Iowa, winning the Jim Thorpe Award in 2015, the Jack Tatum Award and was also the Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year that season. He was also a Unanimous All-American.

In four years with the Hawkeyes, King finished with 263 total tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, 14 interceptions, 33 pass deflections and one forced fumble.

As a member of the Class of 2013, King was a three-star recruit out of Detroit (Mich.) Crockett, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He was theNo. 18 overall prospect in the state, the No. 86 cornerback in the class and the No. 823 overall prospect in the class.

The Steelers could be a rising team this season with quarterback Kenny Pickett under center for Year 2. The former Pitt Panthers signal caller and Heisman Trophy finalist is the star of the show, but the Steelers are building, particularly on defense.

King is just the latest addition and the veteran could pay off in the back end of the defense.