Las Vegas Raiders: Midseason Awards at the halfway point of 2020

Las Vegas Raiders: Midseason Awards at the halfway point of 2020

Defensive Rookie of the First Half – None

Unfortunately there is no winner for this award as first quarter defensive rookie Damon Arnette has not played since Week 3 against the New England Patriots. He has missed time due to a lingering thumb injury but has been practicing last week and is in line to return against Denver in Week 10.

Arnette has had his share of growing pains in his rookie season but has shown plenty of growth in his short stints and is already arguably the second best cornerback on the Raiders roster. He has also shown that he is not afraid of the physicality of the NFL and was not afraid to stick his nose in to tackles when active.

The fact that there is no winner of this award is a bit of an indictment of the 2020 draft class as the Raiders drafted three defensive players in the first four rounds but none have really made an impact. Arnette has missed time with injury, the coaching staff doesn’t quite trust Amik Robertson yet, and Tanner Muse will not play this season after having toe surgery.

Hopefully Arnette will have studied plenty of film and his playbook while he was out injured to help him finish the season strong as the Raiders try to make a playoff push. He should slot right back in to his starting position and will have plenty of opportunities to earn the full season defensive rookie award.