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When the Las Vegas Raiders drafted Arden Key in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft, the hope was that he’d develop into a strong pass rusher. He had some really high highs at LSU and was even considered a future first-round pick at one point. Instead of being the pass rusher of the future for the team, he had three sacks in three seasons, including zero in 2020.
Key was cut by the team this offseason and didn’t appear too sad to leave. He quickly signed with the San Francisco 49ers in hopes of revamping his career. The team is in the midst of training camp and Key recently had his first chance to speak to the media since getting cut. He didn’t hold back when talking about his Raiders tenure.
“I definitely wanted to get out of there,” Key said of the Raiders Sunday. “I was more happy than surprised (about being waived). But hey, I got what I wanted.”
He didn’t stop there. Key also called out the team’s defensive system.
“It was just bad all around for me,” Key said. “Bad system — it just wasn’t the right fit for me.”
It’s hard to argue against Key criticizing the previous defensive system implemented by defensive coordinator Paul Guenther, who was fired during the season. However, the defensive end didn’t do much to help during his three seasons.
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Key Talks Re-Teaming With Maurice Hurst
While cutting Key wasn’t all that surprising, fans were caught off guard when the Raiders also cut Maurice Hurst. The defensive tackle had consistently been of their best defenders and figured to be part of the future. Instead, the team cut him and he quickly joined Key in San Francisco.
Hurst and Key made a joint decision to sign with the 49ers.
“We got drafted together and there were certain things we wanted to change at the Raiders,” Key said. “Over here, it fit right in with both of our skill sets. It was a night-and-day thing. When (the 49ers) called and we came to visit and we were talking and looking at the film, it was like, ‘Ah man, we should be here. This is where we need to be.’”
It’ll be interesting to see if there is some untapped potential that the Raiders weren’t able to take advantage of.
Key Was Part of the Problem for Raiders
Key is not wrong in his criticisms of the Raiders. The team wasn’t a good fit and the system wasn’t good. However, Key would be wise to not talk about his time with Las Vegas as he was certainly part of the problem. He was almost single-handedly responsible for a loss against the Miami Dolphins in Week 16 when he was called for a facemask penalty that put the team in field goal range.
Key also made almost no impact on defense. Three sacks in 37 games isn’t an attractive stat line. The 49ers have a good defensive system in place so the defensive end will have a chance to prove that it was the Raiders’ fault he struggled.
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