For two years the Raiders coaching staff has been trying to get Arden Key to add size to his 235-pound frame. But in each of the previous two offseasons, the story in training camp was the same: Key needed to bulk up.
Now in his third NFL season, it sounds like it has finally happened.
“[Arden Key] reported to training camp last month with 20 added pounds of muscle on his 6-foot-5 frame, checking in at about 260 [pounds],” Sports Illustrated’s Hondo Carpenter reported on Thursday. “However, the change was as much in his mind as his body.”
Sounds like Key is starting to realize the work it takes to succeed in the NFL, doesn’t it?
Coming out of college, Key was called by former NFL defensive end Chuck Smith the best pass rusher in the SEC in 15 years. Obviously that hasn’t been the case so far, but by all accounts Key was one of the most impressive players in Raiders’ training camp this year… and nowhere close to being an afterthought in Paul Guenther’s defense.
If all goes as planned, this will be the year Key can get his career turned around and maybe ease the disappointment of the Raiders not getting Yannick Ngakoue or Jadeveon Clowney (though Clowney is still a free agent so anything is possible). And if Key can really turn up his game, maybe he’ll eventually help some folks forgive the Raiders for the events of September 1, 2018.
twitter: @raidersbeat