LA Chargers Week 9 overreactions: Was trading Desmond King a mistake?

Overreaction #2: The LA Chargers made a mistake by trading Desmond King to the Tennessee Titans for a sixth-round pick

Before Week 9, the LA Chargers traded Desmond King to the Tennessee Titans for a 2021 sixth-round pick.

In Week 9, King’s presence was quickly felt by the Tennessee Titans, as he was able to return a fumble for a touchdown.

THE NEW GUY! @blaqbadger14

?: Watch #CHIvsTEN on FOX pic.twitter.com/tQyO8AJHUA

— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) November 8, 2020

Furthermore, the Los Angeles Chargers, unfortunately, felt his lack of presence, particularly on special teams. While Desmond King has had his share of blunders as a punt returner in recent games, K.J. Hill made his own mistake in King’s role in Week 9 by muffing a punt, critically giving the Las Vegas Raiders an easy field goal.

So, was it a mistake to trade Desmond King to the Titans for just a sixth-round pick?

Absolutely not. If we were to judge all trades based on individual splash plays, many trades would look extremely poor.

Outside of these two big plays, it still made plenty of sense for the Chargers to trade Desmond King.

There is no denying that Desmond King has regressed significantly since his All-Pro season in 2018. While King has plenty of talent left in him, it was clear from the high passer rating that he has allowed on throws in 2019 and 2020 that he is simply not a good asset in coverage currently.

Perhaps more importantly, King’s desire to play (and play hard) for the Chargers was simply gone. We know that King can be a strong tackler when he wants to be, but he simply has not done that for the Chargers this season. With his disdain for the coaching staff known, there was simply no use in keeping King on the roster for the rest of the 2020 season.

Getting 4 years of a player late in the draft was more valuable to the Chargers than 8 games of Desmond King. They made the right choice given the circumstances.

Verdict #2: Overreaction