Desmond King Traded to Titans; Chargers Acquire 6th-Round Draft Pick

The Los Angeles Chargers have agreed to trade defensive back Desmond King to the Tennessee Titans in exchange for a sixth-round pick.

The Titans confirmed the swap after Adam Schefter of ESPN and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network first reported terms of the deal.

King is in the final season of his rookie contract. The 2017 fifth-round pick has greatly outperformed his draft value, emerging as a versatile and vital piece to the Chargers secondary the last three seasons before falling out of favor a bit in 2020.

King has recorded 24 tackles and one sack through Week 8. While he's not been able to replicate his 2018 All-Pro season at defensive back—plus a second-team nod as a return specialist—Pro Football Focus has given him a 74.0 grade in 2020.

King will likely welcome the trade given his public voicing of frustration with his playing time earlier this season.

"Is there a reason I'm not on the field?" he tweeted in September. "Some people want to know. I'll continue to do my job but I'm going to need answers real soon."

The writing was on the wall when the Chargers signed Chris Harris Jr. to a two-year, $17 million contract in March. Harris served as the starting slot corner for the Chargers before suffering a foot injury that thrust King back into the lineup.

While it's possible the Iowa product could have slid into a dime linebacker spot, it made more sense to trade him now and recoup some compensation.

The Titans will likely move King into the slot spot immediately, where he'll upgrade a secondary that is giving up the sixth-most passing yards per game.