Desmond King Steps In, Steps Up for Defense
In many ways, Sunday was a day of introduction for the Tennessee Titans.
New faces were up and down the lineup after several roster moves leading up to their 24-17 victory over the Chicago Bears at Nissan Stadium.
None of newcomers, particularly those on defense, made more of an impact than Desmond King, who the Titans acquired from the Los Angeles Chargers in a trade six days ago. And none had to cram and scramble as much to get ready.
King practiced just one time (Saturday) with his new team due to the NFL’s coronavirus protocols before he hit the field. He spent much time in a hotel room, participating in Zoom meetings and learning the playbook, among other things.
“When I was in the hotel, me and the chair became best friends,” King said. “That’s where I had been sitting literally for the past week, and just putting my head in that playbook. I knew I had a short week of getting this down and not letting it be a distraction. I kind of used it as motivation and knowing that I had to get this down so I could go out and play and have my teammates trust me.”
King’s biggest moment came in the third quarter, and it essentially sealed the victory for the Titans (6-2).
Trailing the Titans 10-0, the Bears put together what looked to be a scoring drive. On third down from the Tennessee 30-yard line, quarterback Nick Foles threw a screen pass to running back David Montgomery, who was hit and stripped of the football by Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons.
Poetically, King, in his first game in the two-tone blue, scooped the ball from the grass and dashed off for a 63-yard touchdown. That made it 17-0 and put Chicago in a desperate position the rest of the way.
Dating back to his college years at the University of Iowa, the 2018 All-Pro now has scored either a defensive or special teams touchdown in each of his last seven seasons. Drafted by the Chargers in the sixth round of the 2017 NFL Draft, the 25-year-old King scored three in his first three NFL seasons (two on defense, on special teams).
“I think them guys on the back end helped him out a lot, especially coming in on a short week, knowing that he is going to have to play this week,” Simmons said. “He did a great job coming in trying to help out this defense, especially learning the defense that fast and I think he did a hell of a job (Sunday). I'm happy for him and especially his first game, he got a touchdown, so what better feeling than that?”
While the touchdown is one for the highlight books, King played a role in a much-needed performance for the Titans defense.
Entering Sunday’s contest, the Titans owned the NFL’s worst third-down defense, allowing opponents to convert more than 61 percent of the time. On Sunday, however, the Bears moved the chains on two of their 15 third-down tries and did not have much success offensively until after King’s touchdown, when Tennessee was willing to trade yards (and some points) for time off the clock.
In addition to King, one outside linebacker, Wyatt Ray, and one defensive lineman, Teair Tart, made their NFL debuts. Veteran cornerback Breon Borders played his first game for the Titans after weeks on the practice squad. And outside linebacker Derick Roberson played for just the second time in 2020.
King credited the defense’s performance to communication.
“Going out there with my teammates they helped me communicate as a team, but that’s what we are here for, that’s what we are supposed to do as teammates out there,” he said. “You want to communicate with the person next to you. Like coach [Mike Vrabel] said in our team meeting yesterday, ‘Don’t act like it’s just one person that came in. Act like everybody just came in. That’s how we need to communicate to make sure everybody is on the same page.’”
King already had some chemistry with several members of the secondary. He said that he trains in California with safeties Kevin Byard, Kenny Vaccaro, Amani Hooker and as well as cornerback Malcolm Butler.
“...Like I said, it’s a family over here,” King said. “These guys love to play football and that’s why I’m here, I love to play football. It just means a lot to us and you can see it when we are out there on the field as a team.”
And if that chemistry can develop even more, many better days could lie ahead for the Titans defense -- a unit that has struggled to find its footing this season. In their quest for the AFC South title and a second consecutive deep postseason run, just that will be important.
“When I heard about the trade, I absolutely loved it,” King said. “I knew it was going to be a great opportunity for me. It was already a great defense and adding me to it made it even better. These guys love to play football here at the Titans and that’s one thing I definitely respect about it. Just to come in here and have the opportunity to play with these guys is definitely a blessing.”
