Desmond King ll returned punts on Sunday in Arizona and said he was just getting his "feet wet."

The cornerback took over the punt return duties after the Texans released veteran return man Andre Roberts last week. King responded by getting 14 yards on the first punt he caught. Instantly, he had the team's longest punt return of 2021.

After the Texans defense forced a Cardinals' 3-and-out on the ensuing possession, King outdid his first effort by catching a 55-yarder at the 16-yard line and getting 20 yards on the return to the Texans' 36-yard line.

Then, just before the third quarter ended, King gathered in an Arizona punt at Houston's 41-yard line and scooted another 17 yards to the Cardinals' 42-yard line.

His fourth and final return of the day went for zero yards, but he wound up with 12.5 yards per run the afternoon.

"It felt good just to be back there, get my feet wet a little bit, get the ball in my hands and do what I do best," King said in a Monday interview with Texans Radio.

His return heroics, along with the play of the defensive line, were some of the few bright spots in the 31-5 defeat in the desert, but Head Coach David Culley took note and appreciated what King did to lift the special teams unit.

"Desmond gave us some juice today in our return game," Culley said Sunday. "We knew he had that in him, but when Andre was here, that's what Andre was here for. We gave him an opportunity to do that, and we weren't getting the production. It was Desmond's turn to come up, and he obviously did a good job for us today – gave us some positive plays in our special teams."

King played every snap on defense at Arizona, the only Texan to do so other than LBs Christian Kirksey and Kamu Grugier-Hill, but when he's back to return a punt, King explained his thought process.

"First off, you've got to secure the ball, you've got to catch the ball," King said. "From there, you just scan the field and see where you can go. Who's coming first, who can I make miss."

King and the Texans will practice Wednesday through Friday at the Houston Methodist Training Center. They'll host the Los Angeles Rams on October 31 in Week 8. Kickoff is set for noon CT. Click here for tickets.