Former Steelers CB Desmond King's Failure On Defense Led To His Immediate Release

The Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback room was a bit of a question mark heading into the 2023 season. The team had picked up veteran Patrick Peterson in free agency, but as he entered the season as a 33-year-old, there were questions about how much he could contribute. Joey Porter Jr. landed in the team's lap as the 32nd overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, but it's tough to know what kind of contributions a team can get from any rookie in their debut season. The team added former All-Pro cornerback Desmond King II in late August after his release from the Houston Texans in hopes of shoring up the position. 

Brian Batko, who covers the Steelers for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, recently hosted a chat with readers, where he answered questions about the team's future. However, during the chat, someone inquired about the brief period that King spent in Pittsburgh.

"My read on the Desmond King thing is they brought him in as a veteran who could make the overall secondary stronger and be a decent insurance policy for Joey Porter Jr.," Batko wrote. "Not sure if he just wasn't picking up their defensive scheme or what, but when he finally got a chance on the field, he was out of position and they allowed a TD. That was the end of that experiment."  

King was inactive for the team's first two games of the season before finally seeing the field in a special teams role against the Las Vegas Raiders. The veteran got seven snaps in his first appearance, with none on defense. He started returning kickoffs for the team in his second game against his former team. 

Coming from a different team late in the offseason, Defensive Coordinator Teryl Austin hoped King could get a full understanding of the system before throwing him into the fire. King got in for one defensive snap in each of the team's next two games against the Baltimore Ravens and the Jacksonville Jaguars. He was handed his walking papers during the team's bye week after they couldn't find a trade partner, according to NBC Sports' Charean Williams. 

King played in seven regular season games and started in three, followed by two playoff games, after returning to the Texans from his short stint in Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh Back In The Market For Cornerback Help

Porter established himself as a true shutdown cornerback during the second half of Pittsburgh's season. He allowed a completion percentage of 47.6% when targeted and only gave up one touchdown. The organization also acquired Donte Jackson in a trade with the Carolina Panthers, sending receiver Diontae Johnson the other way. 

Jackson is eager to prove that he's amongst the top cornerbacks in football, and fans didn't understand that because he'd been playing in Carolina. He is hoping that a move to Pittsburgh will change that. Even if he can lock down the outside corner position opposite Porter however, the team requires more depth at cornerback. 

Peterson was released, but there have been whispers he could return in some capacity at a reduced price. Levi Wallace had his fair share of struggles in the 2023 season and remains on the open market. Primary slot cornerbacks Chandon Sullivan and Elijah Riley are also still free agents. Darius Rush and Cory Trice Jr. are still on the team, but neither should be counted on in more than a depth role to start the year.

This Pittsburgh team may retread with any of those veteran players at reasonable prices, considering there hasn't been any market for them yet. The front office may wait until after the draft however, to make further decisions about the position. The upcoming 2024 NFL Draft class is expected to have a lot of talented cornerbacks, so the team might be considering what they can find from a player out of college, before going back to the players they already know.

Are you surprised it didn't work out with King in Pittsburgh? How big of a need does the team have at cornerback?