HEADLINES

Kevin King

CB Kevin King Plans To Skip 2022 Season, Return in ’23

September 21st, 2022 at 1:18pm CST by Sam Robinson

Although Joe Haden announced his retirement Wednesday morning, a few well-known cornerbacks remain in free agency. All-Decade-teamer Chris Harris joins the likes of Xavier Rhodes and Jackrabbit Jenkins as available vets. But each is 32 or older. Kevin King, who would be going into his age-27 season, looks to be unattached for a different reason.

King does not intend to play this season, according to Doug Kyed of Pro Football Focus, who adds health is driving King to make this unusual call. King, 27, dealt with a litany of injuries and a COVID-19 contraction last year and is eyeing a 2023 NFL return. The University of Washington product turned down multiple offers this offseason, Kyed adds.

Although King struggled in the 2020 NFC championship game, the Packers re-signed the former second-round pick on a one-year deal worth $5MM in 2021. King played 11 games last season, counting Green Bay’s playoff tilt, and started six. The veteran outside cover man was among the many Packer starters to miss a chunk of the season. Hip, knee and shoulder injuries, along with a concussion and COVID, led to King missing seven games. Healing up is obviously critical, and it is not known how much time is needed to do so.

This strategy does run the risk of King’s value cratering, with teams less likely to invest much in a player who dealt with enough injuries they cost him the following year of work. Returning to the league after a full season away is uncommon but far from unprecedented. It might take a successful workout for the five-year Packer to convince a team to add him next year. King missed extensive time during his first two NFL seasons as well, with shoulder and hamstring issues shutting him down in 2017 and ’18.

One of four first- or second-round corners the Packers have drafted since 2017, King has started 42 career games. He rebounded from his early-career injuries to intercept five passes in 2019 and worked as Jaire Alexander‘s primary sidekick during the now-well-paid corner’s time in Wisconsin. Eric Stokes, a 2021 first-rounder, now fills that role.

Injuries aside, PFF graded King’s 2021 season as his best. The veteran cover man did see his yards-per-target, passer rating allowed and completion percentage yielded figures rise from 2020, however. It will be interesting to see if King’s plan to heal up this year pays off down the line.

NFL COVID-19 List Updates: 12/31/21

December 31st, 2021 at 4:40pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are the New Year’s Eve additions and subtractions from teams’ reserve/COVID-19 lists:

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

  • Activated from practice squad virus list: T Drew Himmelman, LB Barrington Wade

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

NFL COVID List Updates: 12/25-12/26/21

December 26th, 2021 at 11:05pm CST by Ely Allen

We’ve compiled a list of players who were placed on or activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list on Christmas and today. In some instances, players activated from the list remain on IR:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

  • Placed on practice squad/COVID-19 list: WR Steven Sims

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

Packers To Re-Sign Kevin King

March 23rd, 2021 at 10:04am CST by Zachary Links

The Packers are bringing back Kevin King (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). The cornerback will return on a one-year deal worth $6MM. 

The Packers nabbed King in the second-round of the 2017 draft due to concerns about his health. If not for injuries, King would have been a top-32 choice, so the Packers saw the Washington product as a strong value. Though he’s flashed serious ability at times, Packers fans haven’t been wild about his coverage on the whole. King has shown a knack for clutch interceptions in the past, but the memory of his NFC Championship Game performance is still fresh.

King, who hauled in five interceptions in 2019, will return in 2021 to pair with lead corner Jaire Alexander.

Packers Promote CB Tramon Williams

January 23rd, 2021 at 3:07pm CST by Sam Robinson

Tramon Williams may soon be set for a historic NFL feat: suiting up for playoff games with two different teams in the same season. The Packers elevated the cornerback from their practice squad Saturday.

Green Bay signed the 14th-year cornerback earlier this week, making this Williams’ third stint with his original NFL team. But he played just last week in the Ravens-Bills divisional-round game, logging 12 defensive snaps with Baltimore.

The Ravens, however, waived Williams soon after their Round 2 loss. Since no one claimed him, the 37-year-old defender would be eligible to play in Sunday’s Packers-Buccaneers game. Since Tuesday, Williams has been waived, made a Packers visit, signed with the Packers and now will rise from the practice squad to the active roster via the COVID-19 replacement route.

If Williams plays Sunday, it will be his fifth NFC championship game as a Packer. Among current Packers, only he and kicker Mason Crosby saw action in the frigid 2007 NFC title game against the Giants. Williams playing Sunday would make him the first player ever to do suit up for two different teams in the same playoffs, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter).

Williams’ status may be tied to Kevin King‘s availability. King is battling a back injury that flared up Friday, though Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com notes the young corner is feeling better after that issue (Twitter link). King fully participated in Green Bay’s Wednesday and Thursday practices but did not work out Friday.

The NFL loosening restrictions on players changing teams amid the pandemic would allow Williams to complete this postseason double dip. The league previously required players who changed teams to go through six days’ worth of coronavirus tests before practicing with their new teams. That timetable would not have allowed Williams to play in the NFC championship game. But the league since made a change to allow players who were already being regularly tested to change teams and suit up without navigating the near-weeklong waiting period.

A Packers UDFA in 2007, Williams began his career with eight Green Bay seasons. After leaving for Cleveland in free agency in 2015, he made his way back to Wisconsin in 2018. Williams spending the 2018 and ’19 seasons with the Packers certainly played a key role in his return. Overall, he has spent four seasons playing in current Packer DC and ex-Browns HC Mike Pettine‘s system since 2015.

Packers Place CB Kevin King On IR

December 5th, 2018 at 4:00pm CST by Zachary Links

The Packers have placed cornerback Kevin King on IR, a source tells Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Running back Tra Carson has also been ruled out for the remainder of the year. 

King, a second-year pro, has missed the last four games with a hamstring injury. Ultimately, the injury was too serious to overcome and, frankly, it wasn’t worth risking a more serious issue at this stage of the season. The Packers are 4-7-1 and, naturally, are more concerned with the former second-round pick’s long-term health.

Both of King’s pro seasons have ended prematurely. Last year, King appeared in nine games and made five starts before he was shut down in December.

King was the Packers’ first pick in the 2017 draft after Green Bay moved down from No. 29 in a swap for the No. 33 selection (King) and a fourth-round choice. There were other big names available, but the Packers were happy to expand their draft stockpile and land the Washington product after he posted a 4.43 second 40-yard-dash, a 39.5-inch vertical leap, and the best times of any cornerback in both the three-cone drill and the 20-yard shuttle.

Injury Notes: Gronk, Mack, Pack, Eagles

November 10th, 2018 at 2:49pm CST by Sam Robinson

A third Rob Gronkowski injury absence appears to be in the cards. The Patriots will not deploy their All-Pro tight end to play Sunday against the Titans, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. While Gronkowski is traveling with the team to Nashville, per ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss (on Twitter), he’s expected to be held out. Gronk missed games against the Bears and Packers but played in Buffalo on the Monday night in between those tilts. He’s been dealing with back and ankle trouble. While the Patriots have been able to win without their top pass-catcher, these repeated absences are obviously a concern for the future Hall of Famer’s availability for New England’s stretch run and potentially his post-2018 NFL future. It’s likely the Pats are attempting to rest Gronk now to hopefully see him healthy for key late-season games and the playoffs, but that can’t be considered a lock given his extensive injury history. Gronkowski hitting his incentive targets may now be unrealistic as well.

Here’s the latest from the Week 10 injury front.

  • Better news for the Bears. They’re in line to have both Khalil Mack and Allen Robinson back on Sunday when they face the Lions, per the Associated Press. Mack is no longer on the injury report after missing the past two Chicago games because of an ankle malady. His defensive player of the year chances took a hit because of this hiatus and Aaron Donald continuing another all-world season but Mack figures to still be in the running and can help a team attempting reach the playoffs for the first time in eight years.
  • The Lions‘ Robinson coverage options will be limited. Darius Slay is out for Week 10, joining guard T.J. Lang in that regard. Slay’s played in each of Detroit’s previous eight games and hasn’t missed time since 2016 but is battling a knee injury. A neck ailment will sideline Lang, who also missed time because of a concussion this season.
  • A tough injury night against the Patriots will have after-effects for the Packers. Kevin King will not play Sunday against the Dolphins because of a hamstring injury. Bashaud Breeland, whom ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky notes appeared to impress the Packers in his Green Bay debut, figures to see more time.
  • Both Sidney Jones and Jalen Mills are going to miss Sunday night’s Eagles-Cowboys game, but Corey Graham will return after missing four games, per Sirius XM Radio’s Adam Caplan (on Twitter). After claiming Cre’Von LeBlanc off waivers earlier this week, surely due to injuries affecting the aforementioned duo, the Eagles have seven corners on their roster.
  • Taco Charlton and Connor Williams aren’t playing for the Cowboys on Sunday. Xavier Su’a-Filo appears to be the choice to replace Williams at left guard for Dallas, per executive VP Stephen Jones (Twitter link). A full-time Texans starter the past two seasons, Su’a-Filo has not played this season. Williams is down with a knee injury.

Packers Shut Down Kevin King For Season

December 6th, 2017 at 3:15pm CST by Zachary Links

The Packers placed cornerback Kevin King on Injured Reserve with a shoulder injury. To take his place, they have activated defensive back Demetri Goodson from the PUP list.

Kevin King (vertical)

King, a second-round pick, was the Packers’ first pick in the 2017 draft after Green Bay moved down from No. 29 in a swap for the No. 33 selection (King) and a fourth-round choice. There were other big names on the board late in the first round, but the Packers were happy to expand their draft stockpile and land the Washington product. King only had so-so hype heading into the draft process, but he quickly turned heads with a 4.43 second 40-yard-dash, a 39.5-inch vertical leap, and the best times of any cornerback in both the three-cone drill and the 20-yard shuttle.

As a rookie, King appeared in nine games and made five starts for the Packers. Unfortunately, he was sidelined last week and team doctors have determined that he needs additional time to recover.

The advanced metrics haven’t been wowed with King’s play (he ranks 109 out of 115 qualified CBs, per Pro Football Focus) but his presence will be missed in Green Bay. Without King, the Packers will have to rely on two 2017 undrafted free agents, one 2016 UDFA, and a former sixth-round pick (Goodson) to support starters Davon House and Damarious Randall.

North Rumors: Packers, Cobb, Jordy, Browns

September 18th, 2017 at 9:14pm CST by Dallas Robinson

MRI results show that wide receiver Randall Cobb (shoulder) and defensive lineman Mike Daniels (hamstring) did not suffer major injuries in the Packers‘ loss to the Falcons on Sunday night, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links). Both are considered day-to-day, and should be available for Green Bay’s Week 3 game against the Bengals. There’s no official word to the severity of wideout Jordy Nelson‘s quad issue, but the Packers don’t believe the injury is serious, per Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com.

Here’s more from the NFL’s two North divisions:

  • The Browns will likely place receiver Corey Coleman on injured reserve on Tuesday, tweets Jeff Schudel of the News-Herald. Coleman, who broke his hand for the second time in as many seasons, will likely need six-to-eight weeks to recover, so he’ll likely be one of Cleveland’s two IR/designated to return players. That would allow Coleman to return to practice in six weeks and see the field in eight. The Browns will lean on Rashard Higgins, Kasen Williams, and Kenny Britt in Coleman’s absence.
  • Second-round cornerback Kevin King will continue to see his role grow after a solid performance for the Packers on Sunday, as head coach Mike McCarthy told reporters, including Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. “If anything, he’s earned the right to potentially play more,” said McCarthy. “Smooth, confident athlete. I like the progression that Kevin’s made.” King, a Washington product, saw his snap percentage leap from 12% in Week 1 to 79% in Week 2, and is now Pro Football Focus‘ No. 19 ranked corner through two weeks.
  • General manager Ted Thompson has shown a recent willingness to add external free agents as he revamps the Packers‘ roster, writes Demovsky in a full piece. Veteran such as Martellus Bennett, Ahmad Brooks, and Davon House have all joined the club this offseason as part of a detour from a Green Bay strategy that typically involves mostly homegrown players. “It’s the realization that they needed to get better,” one NFL executive said of the Packers, noting that Thompson may be more open to input from his front office subordinates.

Packers Sign Top Pick CB Kevin King

May 11th, 2017 at 3:54pm CST by Zachary Links

The Packers have signed rookie cornerback Kevin King (Twitter link via Field Yates of ESPN.com). Green Bay traded down from the No. 29 selection and acquired picks at No. 33 and No. 108. King, taken with the first pick in the second round, is their top draft pick in the 2017 class. Kevin King (vertical)

As a senior, King totaled 44 tackles (including 3.5 tackles for a loss) and two interceptions. At 6’3″, King offers great height for the cornerback position and he boosted his stock in his final year on campus by having his first ever slate of perfect attendance. Some evaluators worry that he doesn’t have enough speed to be a standout CB, but Green Bay’s front office clearly disagrees.

With ten draft picks in this year’s class, the Packers have even more work to do in the coming days.

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