There’s been some talk that cornerback Desmond King should get offensive snaps. Perhaps that’s shy of being a good idea.
By Jordan Hansen
Over the past few weeks, the idea of cornerback Desmond King playing on the offense has been floated around quite a bit.
It’s mostly a media-created story, though King did say this week he would be open to the idea. And from his perspective, why not? He’s not getting nearly as many balls thrown his way this season, and while he has been an excellent contributor on special teams, he still hasn’t had the ball in his hands all that much.
“I’ve talked about it, but I don’t know if it’s going to happen; it hasn’t been brought back up to me,” King said. “I would like to, for sure.”
King saw time at running back in high school and is about as athletic as it gets. He’s 5-11, 200 pounds and wouldn’t even be the smallest wide receiver on the roster.
Strong punt and kick returns have shown he has a knack for finding space, and King knows how to put opposing players on skates. In fact, he’s said one of his main focuses is working on his first movement when returning the ball.
So, yes, perhaps the skills are there. Even Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz would admit that much.
“He’d try, and probably be pretty good at it, quite frankly. Maybe we need to think about it. I don’t know,” Ferentz said. “We could do it, but you’re robbing one to — there are only so many snaps a guy can play.”
Ferentz hit the problem on the head here. Is it really worth it to have him on the field for those extra offensive snaps?
King returns nearly every kick and is on the field for basically every defensive play, which takes a lot out of a player. Sure, he has proved he has plenty of stamina, but adding even more to his plate could backfire.
If a specialty play using him is not already in the offensive playbook, it would take time out of critical game preparation to put one in. That’s less time King would spend working on defense each week, something which probably wouldn’t serve the team well.
Last week’s game against Minnesota was certainly a step in the right direction for the defensive unit, but there are holes to fix. Before adding a couple plays for King that might not even be effective, perhaps the defensive lapses should be focused on first.
There’s also an increased risk of injury. King has taken some nasty shots on returns over the past couple seasons, and it’s been noticeable this year. Fatigue can increase the chance of a player getting injured; is that really something Iowa wants to risk?
“It’s a lot easier said than done. He’s working hard on defense, first and foremost. That’s a really important position he plays,” Ferentz said. “You think about how many yards he ran for in the Northwestern game, what kind of energy and effort that took.”
The Hawkeyes cannot afford to have King — the best NFL prospect on the team — injured at this point in the season. Iowa should beat Purdue this weekend, but looking beyond, games against Wisconsin, Nebraska, and Michigan all sit on the horizon.
Those are not games in which Iowa wants to start Josh Jackson or Manny Rugamba instead of King.
There are other ways of jump-starting the passing offense — different routes, trying different players, etc. — to get where the Hawkeyes want to be. Starting quarterback C.J. Beathard was better protected after a reshuffling of the offensive line, which was a pretty good start.
Wide receiver Riley McCarron has been playing well, and Jerminic Smith is coming along. Jay Scheel is, too. A little bit of patience with the receiving group will likely pay off.
After all, guys such as Smith, Scheel, Devonte Young, and Ronald Nash all will be getting the ball quite a bit next season. Now would seemingly be the moment to throw them into the fire.
Adding a couple of plays with King, while not necessarily harming other receivers’ growth, seems like a knee-jerk reaction.
Iowa has trust in its offense and for right now, the focus is putting the ball into the current receiver’s hands.
“We’re a resilient team,” Beathard said. “We have a lot of guys who can play ball.”
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