PITTSBURGH — The Steelers are excited to have Desmond King in the building after signing him late last week. King joins the team he dreamed of playing for coming out of Iowa, and Pittsburgh gets a dependable veteran on the back end of their secondary. But right now, the team is just learning what he can do. He has only practiced with the Steelers for one day, as such Mike Tomlin does not have a compelling plan for him just yet. But he is excited to have him in the building.
“No, not as I stand here today,” Tomlin said about his plan for King’s skill set. “We just acquired him the other day. We’ve had one kind of bonus practice. We had the infancy of our plan development this week. And so it’s just a lot of layers to that discussion. Our ability to get to know him, how quickly he learns what it is that we do here, and the need component. And so we’re excited, obviously, about his acquisition, but I don’t necessarily have an answer for that as we stand here today.”
That’s an interesting point made by Tomlin and one that can get overlooked when talking about new additions such as Desmond King. It takes time for those guys to assimilate into a team, and it will probably be tough for King to get onto the field immediately. That should mean Chandon Sullivan will get the start with King mixing in later in the year, likely post-bye week when he is fully geared into the defense.
“I’m so excited to be here,” King said. “It’s like a dream come true. I always wanted to play for Mike (Tomlin) and the City of Pittsburgh. It was always a good atmosphere coming here and playing. I know it’s going to be great.”
Desmond King has an All-Pro honor to his name. The punt return part of his game at 28 years old will not go anywhere. But his fit in the secondary is a little bit more interesting. King can play inside and outside, but the Steelers could use him as a blitzer, one of his best traits. But he can play anywhere the team wants him to suit up.
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