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- Mar 19, 2019
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Raiders first-round pick Damon Arnette did not have the kind of rookie season he or the team was looking for in 2020.
Arnette had two concussions, a thumb injury, and a stay on the reserve/COVID-19 list during the season. He missed seven games altogether and played a total of 10 snaps in two other games, which didn’t leave him with much of a chance to play.
When he did, the performance was not great and General Manager Mike Mayock told Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal that the lack of an offseason program was a problem for all the team’s young players. It remains to be seen what this offseason will bring and Mayock identified other things Arnette should be focused on heading into his second season.
“I think it’s a huge offseason for Damon,” Mayock said. “What he needs is the consistency of nutrition, a weight room and a workout regimen. And he needs to apply himself religiously. We have no problems with his quickness, with his ability to cover and his innate competitiveness. It’s the other things. Because when things come easy to you, you don’t always work on the other things. And now Damon really has to focus on the weight room, the nutrition and the daily regimen of getting himself ready for camp.”
Mayock said he felt the Raiders could have been a playoff team in 2020 if they had a top-10 offense and middle of the road defense. They finished in the top 10 in points scored and yards from scrimmage, but, as Mayock admitted, they “did not play middle of the road defense.”
Getting Arnette on a better track would be one way to help their chances of reaching that point next time around.