Houston Texans free agent profile: Desmond King II

Desmond King II had a handful of impact plays for the Houston Texans last season.

Arguably the top playmaker outside of Justin Reid in the Houston Texans’ secondary, Desmond King II sure provided an impact here and there in 2021. King II’s three interceptions were tied with Lonnie Johnson Jr. for the most on the season.

King had 93 total tackles on the season, with 25 of them being assisted. When it comes to King II’s advanced stats, King allowed quarterbacks to complete 66 percent of the passes thrown his way, for a total of 752 yards and five touchdowns allowed. That was an average of 11.4 yards per completion, which isn’t good. A first down was guaranteed every time he was targeted.

So will King II be returning to the Houston Texans in 2022?

Desmond King II can have a better 2022 with more help upfront from Houston Texans defensive line

The Houston Texans only had 32 sacks last season, a number that was within the bottom six of the league. Trading Charles Omenihu and letting Whitney Mercilus go definitely hurt the pass rush, which in turn drained the secondary of energy throughout games.

King II also had a role as a punt returner, but only averaged 9 yards per return. King II flashed his ability on an awesome 40-plus yard return against Green Bay in the preseason.

Say what you want about the preseason, but his first return gave a lot more hope than what DeAndre Carter did in 2020. Unfortunately, the return team of the Texans never materialized anything significant all year.

King II gets brought back on a one or two-year deal as knowing Lovie Smith’s defense is a plus. If him and Justin Reid can get help from the guys up front, then the safety position is going to have a positive outlook for 2022.