Las Vegas Raiders: Damon Arnette playing hard through mistakes

Las Vegas Raiders rookie cornerback Damon Arnette has made some mistakes, but is playing through them with intensity and aggression.

There was a moment in the Las Vegas Raiders Week 2 win over the New Orleans Saints where color commentator Brian Griese speculated that Damon Arnette had been benched. It was a series where Nevin Lawson stepped in at corner opposite Trayvon Mullen, but much to the chagrin of his doubters, Arnette was just getting a brief rest as his broken thumb was acting up.

Even with that supposed “benching”, Arnette has played in in at least 72% of the Raiders snaps on defense, and that number should likely increase as his role grows as well.

The Raiders have not been shy about pulling young players for a teaching moment, but in the case of Arnette, he has been playing well enough to give the coaches confidence and not concern despite what the numbers say. In two games so far, Arnette’s numbers per Football Reference do not look great, as he has given up eight completions on ten targets for 83 yards and a touchdown.

However, when you remove the play where he made the most egregious mistake, Robby Anderson’s 75-yard touchdown on a double move where Arnette bit hard and missed, the numbers become much more respectable. Without that 75-yarder, Arnette has given up less than 10 yards in receptions through two games against some solid receivers like DJ Moore and Tre’Quan Smith.

He is exactly what the Raiders were hoping for.