Who is D'Eriq King? Former wide receiver replaces ex-NFL QB Jordan Ta'amu and scores instant touchdown

One man's pain is another man's gain. Jordan Ta'amu found it out the hard way as D'Eriq King replaced him as the starting quarterback for the DC Defenders in their XFL game against the Vegas Vipers. Jordan Ta'amu had started the game but he was part of a Defenders offense that offered three turnovers in the first half.

With the Vegas Vipers leading 6-3 at home, D'Eriq King was introduced in the second half as the starting quarterback. He had an immediate impact as he led his team to their first touchdown of the game by rushing into the endzone.

The DC offense, which was racking up yards but failed to score points, was suddenly in business. He scored on the next drive as well and the three-point deficit took a 12-point lead. Here is a look at D'Eriq King's first touchdown and one could only wonder what Jordan Ta'amu was thinking as he saw it.

Contrasting emotions for D'Eriq King and Jordan Ta'amu

D'Eriq King's performance was not only symbolic of the change of guard for the DC Defenders, it seemed to mark a change in the trajectory of the two players.

Jordan Ta'amu is an established quarterback with NFL and USFL experience. He played his college football at Ole Miss from 2017 to 2018. As a starter in 2018, he had 3,918 passing yards, 342 passing yards and 25 combined touchdowns. His yardage was just second in the SEC to Tua Tagovailoa; you might have heard of him.

In 2019, he signed with the Houston Texans but was released. That allowed him to sign with the St. Louis Battlehawks in the last iteration of the XFL. He was their starting quarterback and his performances attracted enough interest that the Kansas City Chiefs signed him. After being on the practice squad with the Kansas City Chiefs and the Detroit Lions twice each over the period of 2020 and 2021, he signed with the Washington Football Team. He was a backup at one point to Taylor Heinicke there, who himself was Jordan Ta'amu's backup in the XFL.

After being with the Carolina Panthers' practice squad until 2022, he was signed by the USFL team Tampa Bay Bandits. He would end up leading the USFL in passing yards and touchdowns with 2,014 yards and 14 touchdowns, respectively. It attracted interest from the DC Defenders in the XFL, and he was signed by them earlier this year.

However, after an error-strewn performance that included an interception and fumble against the Vegas Vipers, they introduced D'Eriq King. King is a former wide receiver who played for the University of Houston, where he converted into a quarterback.

Anyone who saw his 2018 season would have known his potential. In his junior year, he suffered an injury in the eleventh game of the season that cut short his season. Despite that, he recorded 2,982 yards, 36 passing touchdowns and 14 rushing touchdowns. That was just behind Kyler Murray and Dwayne Haskins in terms of total touchdowns that year, and he was expected to follow in the footsteps of the Arizona Cardinals quarterback.

That did not quite pan out. Instead, in 2022, he was part of the practice squad for both the New England Patriots and the Carolina Panthers. Considering both the teams missed the NFL playoffs this year, it is not hard to imagine both teams having some regrets seeing him perform today.

With the DC Defenders securing a come-from-behind 18-6 victory over the Vegas Vipers, it seems now that it is D'Eriq King's starting job to lose. Even in their last victory against the Seattle Sea Dragons, he replaced Jordan Ta'amu and scored a rushing touchdown, but the change was expected to be in the rotation and not made permanent. However, the dynamic might have changed after today's game.