Desmond King II and Tavierre Thomas never thought they would one day be teammates in the NFL.
The two Detroit natives had been best friends since the age of six. When Thomas got a call from the Texans, King was still looking to sign with a team in free agency.
"He had just signed, and I would say, probably like a week later, I called him," King said. "I was like, 'Guess where I'm at?' He was like, 'Where are you at?' I was like, 'I'm in Houston.'"
Thomas persuaded his childhood friend to sign as well, although it did not take much convincing on his part. King, an All-Pro, wanted to play for Defensive Coordinator Lovie Smith.
"He (Smith) did his research on me," King said. "He knows what kind of player I am, and he felt like this was like the best system for me, and I was just like, it is. I feel comfortable playing this way because this is what I'm used to. This is my strength. So it was definitely a big part of me coming here with Tavierre and with Lovie Smith being a Defensive Coordinator, it was a good fit all around."
In Week 3, both King and Thomas got their first start of the season and first as Texans. Houston made a few changes in the secondary, with Thomas playing in the slot and King playing outside.
"We're just looking to find out what the best combination is right now," Head Coach David Culley said. "We've had some injuries there, so we've moved some guys around, and we're just trying to find the right combination back there just to see what gives us the best fit."
King finished with a team-high nine tackles (eight solo), tied for the second-highest total of his career. He also recorded a tackle for loss and a forced fumble. Thomas finished with seven tackles (four solo).
The Texans will host the New England Patriots in Week 5. Sunday's kickoff is set for noon CT. Click here for tickets.
The Houston Texans roster in photos.
DB, Grayland Arnold, #35
DL, Thomas Booker, #56
TE, Pharaoh Brown, #85
RB, Rex Burkhead, #28
OL, A.J. Cann, #60
LB, Blake Cashman, #53
DL, Maliek Collins, #96
WR, Nico Collins, #12
WR, Brandin Cooks, #13
OL, Austin Deculus, #76
WR, Phillip Dorsett, #4
DL, Michael Dwumfour, #50
K, Ka'imi Fairbairn, #7
OL, Kenyon Green, #59.
DL, Rasheem Green, #92
DL, Jonathan Greenard, #52
LB, Kamu Grugier-Hill, #51
FB, Troy Hairston, #34
LB, Jake Hansen, #49
DL, Demone Harris, #94
OL, Charlie Heck, #67
LB, Neville Hewitt, #43
DL, Kurt Hinish, #93
TE, O.J. Howard, #83
OL, Tytus Howard, #71
DL, Jerry Hughes, #55
WR, Tyler Johnson, #14
P, Cameron Johnston, #11
TE, Brevin Jordan, #9
DB, Desmond King II, #25
LB, Christian Kirksey, #58
DL, Roy Lopez, #91
OL, Justin McCray, #64
QB, Davis Mills, #10
WR, Chris Moore, #15
OL, Jimmy Morrissey, #79
DB, Eric Murray, #23
DB, Steven Nelson, #21
RB, Dare Ogunbowale, #33
DL, Ogbo Okoronkwo, #45
DB, Jonathan Owens, #36
RB, Dameon Pierce, #31
DB, Jalen Pitre, #5
OL, Scott Quessenberry, #54
LB, Jalen Reeves-Maybin, #44
DB, Tremon Smith, #1.
DB, M.J. Stewart, #29
DB, Derek Stingley Jr., #24
OL, Laremy Tunsil, #78
LB, Garret Wallow, #32
LS, Jon Weeks #46
An image from the Aug 19, 2022 preseason week 2 game between the Houston Texans and the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, CA.
