The Washington Commanders should consider bringing in free agent cornerback Kevin King during the 2022 NFL offseason.
Another offseason, another year of wondering what the Washington Commanders can do to fix their issues in the secondary. As we turn to free agency, there are a few names that pop out at you. But one that Washington needs to seriously consider, is Kevin King.
The Commanders made a number of moves to improve their secondary last offseason. Two of the biggest additions they made were at the cornerback position, bringing in free agent William Jackson III and drafting rookie Benjamin St-Juste.
Jackson III had an up-and-down year, solid but not bringing the stability they were hoping for. This is especially true considering Kendall Fuller was great but not as great as he was the year prior.
As for St-Juste, he was actually pretty phenomenal before his injury. You could make a pretty strong case that he was actually Washington’s best cornerback in the seven games he did appear in. Hopefully, everything is okay with the corner, but concussions are no joke.
Outside of those three, Danny Johnson has shown some promise. But probably shouldn’t enter the year in a prominent role. And with St-Juste having injuries last year and Jackson III being a little bit of a disappointment, it makes sense for Washington to want to make more moves.
Now, we were just discussing injuries – and that’s something Kevin King knows about. He appeared in just 10 games last year, after appearing in only 11 the year before. In fact, his career-high is 15 games in 2019. And that came off the heels of 15 games combined in the first two years of his career right before that.
So there’s clearly a red flag. But that might make this signing even more obvious. King isn’t going to be the most sought-after asset in the market. He’s proven he can play when he’s healthy, but “when he’s healthy” is an animal of its own.
Remember back in 2019 when Kevin King broke out though? And there were talks about how ridiculously elite the Green Bay Packers’ cornerback duo of King and Jaire Alexander was? Alexander has turned into one of the very best at his position, but King’s suffered multiple injuries that have sort of made him an afterthought. I
t wasn’t long ago at all though that he was part of an “elite duo”.
With King, you’re getting someone that’s going to be just 27 in 2022. He might be just getting to his prime. And with just 21 games played in his last two seasons, it’s not like some monster offer is going to be staring him in the face. King is likely going to be getting a one-year “prove-it” deal. Why should the Commanders get in on that action?
They need a cornerback, and King has shown in pretty recent memory that he can be a top-tier talent. The injuries just make it seem like it was forever ago. Who knows, maybe you could even scoop him up on something like a three-year deal without having to toss great money at him.
Then what happens if King stays healthy? Suddenly you have actual depth at the cornerback position. That’s something the Commanders haven’t had in an insanely long time. A healthy King could absolutely be a number-two to Fuller. With Jackson III and St-Juste, that’s a really solid group. And Johnson is interesting depth.
The Washington Commanders need to make quite a few additions this offseason if they want to become contenders. So why not see if you can get a potentially great cornerback for a pretty cheap price? Kevin King may come with some injury concerns, but when healthy he can absolutely ball.