Arden Key entering make or break season with the Las Vegas Raiders
By Brad Weiss
Arden Key was an early draft pick of Jon Gruden in his return to the Raiders, and the 2020 campaign is going to be a make-or-break year for him.
In his first draft after returning to be the head coach of the then-Oakland Raiders, Jon Gruden selected LSU edge rusher Arden Key in the third round. Key, who was seen as a first round talent, was expected to come in and learn behind Khalil Mack and Bruce Irvin, two of the best in the business at the position at the time.
Instead, Key was forced into a starting role, as Mack was traded prior to the 2018 NFL season, and Irvin played his way out of town. Key appeared in all 16 games as a rookie, making ten starts, but racked up only one sack, and his rookie year was seen as a bit of a dud based on his projection coming out of college.
In 2019, Key played in all five games to start the season, but he strained his patellar tendon during the team’s win over Mack and the Chicago Bears in London. When he returned, he ended his season by breaking his leg during the team’s Week 9 win over the Detroit Lions, hoping to get healthy enough to breakout in 2020.
The issue with that is the Raiders spent a No. 4 overall pick on an edge rusher in 2019, and fourth round pick, Maxx Crosby, ended his rookie campaign with double-digit sacks. This offseason, the team also added Carl Nassib to the fold, so entering Year 3, Key could be the odd man out.
Prior to his broken leg ending his season, Gruden had stated that the team needed to get more out of Key, and being one of his draft picks, he is going to get every chance to make an impact this season. Problem is, Ferrell and Crosby are locked in as starters, and Nassib was given a ton of money, so it will be an interesting offseason for Key.
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This is actually a good problem to have if you are the Raiders, as Key was a stellar player at LSU, and when healthy, he can make an impact. New defensive line coach Rod Marinelli is one of the best in the business, and he should be able to get the best out of Key in 2020.