Terrion Arnold, an Alabama defensive back selected by the Detroit Lions with the No. 24 overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft, entered the league with high hopes as a rookie cornerback.
However, Arnold’s NFL career has gotten off to a difficult start as he has suffered with coverage breakdowns and penalties in his first two tough games.
Arnold was singled out by Christian Booher of SI.com for having a “difficult” day on September 15, when the team lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20-16. Booher referred to Arnold as one of the “duds” of the contest, pointing out that he committed a crucial penalty that gave the Buccaneers points.
Booher noted, “Arnold had a difficult day in his second NFL start.”
He was singled out early on and reported for obstructing Mike Evans’ pass. The penalty, which happened close to the goal line, provided Tampa Bay with favorable field position for their first possession.
Arnold was mentioned as a defensive weakness for the Lions on Sunday for the second week in a row.
Lions Rookie Finding It Hard to Pay Penalties
Booher speculated that Arnold might be struggling to adjust to life in the NFL, pointing out that in just two games, he had already received four penalties, including a facemask in the Buccaneers game on Sunday.
Booher stated, “The Alabama product has plenty of potential, but is still getting used to the way the NFL game is officiated.”
Booher continued, saying that wide receiver Chris Godwin was able to run unrestricted down the sidelines after Arnold was involved in a covering breakdown that led to Tampa’s first touchdown.
Arnold was a part of the Lions’ significant offseason secondary investment. Additionally, the team selected Missouri’s Ennis Rakestraw Jr. as a cornerback with its second-round pick.
Rakestraw has played fewer minutes than Arnold, who has easily transitioned into a starting role. In the team’s season opener, he played just three defensive plays, and on Sunday, he was inactive for the Buccaneers game.
In addition, the Lions acquired Carlton Davis, the team’s top cornerback in terms of total snaps, in order to strengthen their secondary.
Two Games, Two Unsteady Shows
After the team’s Week 1 victory over the Los Angeles Rams, Arnold faced criticism for his performance. According to Zach Moran of USA Today’s Lions Wire, Arnold appeared to be having greater trouble as the game progressed.
Arnold’s penalties proved to be expensive in Week 1 as well, according to Moran.
“A cornerback’s best friend was his relative quietness early in the game, but as the game went on, things went south,” wrote Arnold. He received two expensive flags for pass interference in the end zone, which immediately resulted in Rams scores. Such errors put the defense in difficult situations, particularly in a closely contested game where every point was crucial.
Arnold concurred with Booher that the inexperienced cornerback has plenty of time to grow from his errors.
Nonetheless, he noted, “Arnie should learn a lot from this and will probably improve and return stronger in future matchups.”
