Chiefs sign former Raiders first-round pick Damon Arnette on reserve/future contract

The Kansas City Chiefs have added a former first-round draft pick at the cornerback position on reserve/future contract. It just so happens they’re a former first-round pick from an AFC West opponent too.

According to the NFL’s personnel notice for Thursday, the Chiefs have signed former Raiders CB Damon Arnette to a reserve/future deal. The No. 19 overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft by way of Ohio State, Arnette was released by Las Vegas earlier this season after a video posted to Instagram showed him brandishing firearms and making threats.

If you’re not familiar with reserve/future contracts, it means that Arnette won’t count against the team’s active roster until the beginning of the new league year on Mar. 16, 2022. That’s when the 90-man offseason roster opens for each NFL team.

Arnette played in just 13 games (7 starts) with the Raiders during his career, and at the time of his release, he was on injured reserve recovering from a groin injury. He had 29 tackles, one tackle for loss and three passes defended over two seasons with Las Vegas.

It’s not unlike Chiefs GM Brett Veach to go out and give a player who has made a mistake a second chance. They did so with former Giants’ first-round draft pick DeAndre Baker, who has been on the 53-man roster this season as a key backup for Kansas City. It’s a low-risk, high-reward type of signing for the team.

With the expected departures in the defensive secondary for the Chiefs in 2022, adding a player like Arnette could turn into a sneaky good move. He clearly has the talent to play in this league, but he’ll need to earn a shot at personal and professional redemption. That work begins this offseason.

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