Rookie cornerback Terrion Arnold came to the Detroit Lions carrying some high expectations, with the team taking the Alabama defensive back with the No. 24 overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft.
But Arnold has gotten off to a rough start in his NFL career, turning in two challenging performances as he struggled with coverage breakdowns and penalties.
Christian Booher of SI.com singled Arnold out for his “difficult” day in the team’s 20-16 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on September 15. Booher called Arnold one of the “duds” of the game, noting that he had a critical penalty that led to points for the Buccaneers.
“Arnold had a difficult day in his second NFL start,” Booher wrote. “He was targeted early and flagged for pass interference working against Mike Evans. The penalty, which occurred near the goal line, gave Tampa Bay good field position on its opening drive.”
Sunday marked the second straight week that Arnold was identified as a weak point for the Lions on defense.
Lions Rookie Struggling With Penalties
Booher suggested that Arnold could be having a difficult time adjusting to the NFL, noting that he has drawn four penalties through two games including a facemask in Sunday’s loss to the Buccaneers.
“The Alabama product has plenty of potential, but is still adapting to the way that the NFL game is officiated,” Booher wrote.
Booher added that Arnold was involved in a coverage breakdown on Tampa’s first touchdown, allowing wide receiver Chris Godwin to run free down the sidelines uncovered.
Arnold was part of a big offseason investment into the secondary for the Lions. The team also used its second-round pick on another cornerback, Missouri’s Ennis Rakestraw Jr.
While Arnold has slid into a starting role, Rakestraw has seen more limited time. He appeared in just three defensive snaps in the team’s season opener and was inactive for Sunday’s loss to the Buccaneers.
The Lions made some other moves to bolster their secondary, trading for Carlton Davis who has been the team’s leader in total snaps among cornerbacks.
Two Games, Two Shaky Performances
Arnold had already been criticized for his struggles in the team’s Week 1 win over the Los Angeles Rams. Zach Moran of USA Today’s Lions Wire noted that Arnold seemed to have more difficulty as the game went on.
Moran added that Arnold’s penalties were quite costly in Week 1 as well.
“Early in the game, Arnold was relatively quiet—a good sign for a cornerback—but things took a turn for the worse as the game progressed,” Arnold wrote. “He was flagged twice for pass interference in the end zone, costly penalties that led directly to Rams’ points. Those kinds of mistakes put the defense in tough positions, especially in a tightly contested game where every point mattered.”
Like Booher, Arnold suggested that the rookie cornerback has plenty of time to learn from his mistakes.
“However, this should serve as a valuable learning experience for Arnold, and he’ll likely grow from it and come back stronger in future matchups,” he wrote.
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