All Hail King Des: How Texans DB Found His Home In Houston

One season with the Houston Texans was enough for Desmond King to call the 713 area code his permenant home.

HOUSTON - - Desmond King doesn’t remember exactly what he did with his first paycheck when agreeing to a new contract with the Houston Texans. He might have sent some money back to Detroit and his mother, Yvette Powell.

Perhaps some of the money went toward his house? King, a native of Michigan, knew he wanted to be a full-time resident of Texas one day. Dallas was an option. So was San Antonio. The biggest roadblock was King wanted to have a permanent resident wherever he played next.

Last season while on a prove-it contract, King lived in a high-rise downtown. He didn’t think about the longevity of his time in the city. He wanted a comfy space to unwind after practice.

Things have changed. Houston is now King's home. The Texans are more like a family than a franchise. After a rebounding season on a 4-13 roster, King felt he fit in the 713 area code. He enjoyed playing in defensive coordinator Lovie Smith’s system. He loved his teammates and he wanted to stick around for another year. 

“I wanted to build on what the team is doing,” King said. “I wanted to use this as a step in the right direction. I wanted to help this team out, and by me playing here last year, I felt like building onto that.”

As the Texans’ preseason ends Thursday night against the San Francisco 49ers, King is ready. He’s locked in with Houston for another two seasons on a $7 million deal and doesn’t intend on going elsewhere until at least 2024.

King and his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, spent the offseason negotiating with both Smith — who was promoted to head coach — along with general manager Nick Caserio, on a multi-year contract. He wanted it done right rather than quick, eventually helping the two sides come to terms in the middle.

The long game was fine with King. Patience has been a major part of his game since college. It was always about returning where he felt most comfortable. 

The Texans love King's versatility and aggressiveness. King is ready to apply those attributes to Houston long-term.

“I’m here for two years,” King said. “I have a chance to step up within this organization and build this team however I can.”

Big City Changes

King wasn’t sure where he would play next following an AFC Wild Card loss to the Baltimore Ravens. At the midseason point, the 5-10 All-Pro defender was traded from the Los Angeles Chargers to the Tennessee Titans.

A former Jim Thorpe Award winner and All-American at Iowa, King only knew Los Angeles as his professional home. In the offseason, he reconnected with former Chargers quarterbacks coach Pep Hamilton while working out in Southern California. 

Hamilton, who turned quarterback Justin Herbert into the Offensive Rookie of the Year, told King his next stop was Houston in the same role. Quarterback and Chargers teammate Tyrod Taylor was also headed to the Texans on a one-year deal.

The idea of reuniting with a former coach and teammate enticed King. Houston also recently signed defensive back Tavierre Thomas, a childhood friend of King’s and teammate on the Westside Cubs back in Michigan. Christian Kirksey, an Iowa alum and former college teammate, was set to start at middle linebacker.

“It felt like home,” King said.

King visited the Texans in late March. He agreed to a deal and immediately began learning Smith’s defense. He first viewed Houston as a stepping stone for his career.

It later became his haven.

Shifting Outside

By midseason, the idea had been floated around in meetings. Houston’s inability to find a sound No. 2 corner was hampering the pass defense. In back-to-back weeks against the Indianapolis Colts and Arizona Cardinals, the Texans allowed 31 points. Quarterbacks Carson Wentz and Kyler Murray each threw for over 230 yards and at least pair of touchdowns.

Thomas, who made headlines on special teams, was improving each practice in the nickel. King had experience playing the boundary during his time at Iowa, but that was four seasons ago, and college is different in terms of the level of competition.

While in Iowa City, King said Hawkeyes coach Kirk Ferentz put an emphasis on making sure his defensive backs were willing to tackle. One wouldn't take the field at Kinnick Stadium if they couldn't make the hit in the open field. 

It’s a trait Smith has valued in his cornerbacks, often speaking of a player's value when to comes to making hits and how it could lead to more reps. King was a natural tackler both in college and the pros, but he also took pride in his attention to detail on double moves and quick breaks.

“When you’re inside, you have to have a lot more patience,” King said. “There’s so many things that you have to pay attention to. You have run fits, re-routes, eyes are always on the quarterbacks and you have to play man.”

King was willing to test playing outside. It ended working for all parties, and the pass defense improved. King finished with a career-high 93 tackles and three interceptions. Meanwhile, Thomas finished with a career-best 86 stops, four deflections and two interceptions — including one returned for a touchdown in Week 16 against King’s former team in Los Angeles.

“Des can do it all, to have that versatility to go back and forth,” linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill said. “Just keeps offenses guessing.”

Taking The Mantle

When King arrived in Los Angeles in 2017, he began working with the third-team defense. By the time OTAs were over, he’d moved up to the second-team unit.

In large part, King credited his early growth to veterans already in the building. Casey Hayward, a two-time All-Pro on the outside, immediately took King under his wing. Former first-round round pick Jason Verrett followed suit, as did Pro Bowl tight end and Detroit native Antonio Gates.

“Those guys were veterans on the roster,” King said. “There were an endless number of guys in the area that just played a big part in my career.”

King said one of the best pieces of advice he received as a rookie came from former Seattle Seahawks defensive tackle Brandon Mebane. Two simple words that left an impact on his career.

"Be available.''

It’s what King had tried to be throughout his five seasons. A shift to the outside? No problem. A special-teams ace? He loves it. Punt returner? That’s a role he played in Iowa and never wanted to let go of.

On Sundays, King will be the Texans’ punt returner again after averaging 9.1 yards per return in 2021. 

King also is ready to be a mentor to the younger defensive backs. This offseason, Houston drafted LSU cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. and Baylor safety Jalen Pitre. 

Both players are projected to start against the Colts on Sept. 11 and King is here to make sure the two realize one bad play isn’t the end of the world.

“There’s always room for improvement and you’ll always have something you can work at,” King said. “It doesn’t matter if it comes down to you watching film, coming outside or working out in the weight room.”

One year turned into a future for King. He’s a permanent fixture for the Texans' defense, but he's also much more than just a football player.

He’s an amateur bowler, hoping to one day beat his best score of 230.

He’s an avid grill master, trying to perfect his baked chicken recipe.

He loves gaming, often unwinding by playing Call of Duty or Madden. He won’t say who is the team's best player, but Pitre is by far the worst when it comes to the sticks.

King is now a full-fledged Texan. And maybe, he’s one of the x-factors in helping Houston out its rebuild and back to contention. 

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