Las Vegas Raiders: 3 Players who need to get healthy in 2020
By Matt Holder
Arden Key
Even though he was a third-round pick, there were fairly high expectations for Arden Key coming out of college. He was a two-time first-team All-SEC selection and racked up 20 sacks in three seasons at LSU. However, his production in college has yet to transfer over to the professional level.
In two seasons with the Silver and Black Key has only recorded three sacks and 15 quarterback hits. Heading into the 2019 season, there was a lot of hype surrounding him because he added some much-needed weight by bulking up to 255 pounds. Unfortunately, the edge rusher had another disappointing campaign by registering two sacks, four quarterback hits and finished the season on injured reserve with a broken foot.
Getting after the quarterback is of the utmost importance in today’s pass-happy NFL and something the Raiders have struggled with the last two seasons. While 2019 was certainly better than the historically bad 2018 in that department, the team still finished 24th overall in sacks a year ago.
In 2020, Key needs to one, get healthy and two, start producing like he did in college. Otherwise, this upcoming season could be his last with the organization as Las Vegas can walk away from his contract and only take a $207,000 cap hit in 2021.