Damon Arnette's signing with the Houston Texans on June 20 marks a second chance for the former first-round cornerback nearly four years after he played his last NFL snap.
Arnette, selected No. 19 overall by the Las Vegas Raiders in the 2020 draft, played only 13 games for the clubs over two seasons. He was released in November 2021 after brandishing a weapon and threatening someone's life in a viral video. Multiple off-field incidents had preceded that event, and in 2022 Arnette was cut from the Kansas City Chiefs practice squad after an arrest for assault with a deadly weapon.
In the time since, Arnette has taken steps to set his life back on the right course, a process that included United Football League executive vice president of football operations Daryl Johnston holding the CB out of a return to the game with the UFL for a year, ensuring he had experienced enough personal growth, before allowing him to join the Houston Roughnecks.
Arnette made an impact with the Roughnecks, totaling 18 tackles, five passes defensed, a sack and a pick-six, but more importantly, he exhibited a higher character witnessed by executives, coaches and players within the league.
"I put a lot of effort into just making sure that Damon was in the right spot mentally, had put his past behind him," Johnston told KPRC 2's Aaron Wilson this week. "There was genuine remorse about what had happened and then you get with the appropriate people to get the facts of the matter and, then, you weigh all those different elements into it. When we got down to it, we really felt that Damon had earned the right to have a second opportunity to change his life around.
"So, we're very proud of what he's done with this opportunity. He's still got a long way to go. I talked to Damon the day he signed with the Texans and said, 'Hey, congratulations, that's great stuff. I know it's been a long journey, but you are just at the beginning. You've got so much work to do.' And so I'm gonna be on him all the way through training camp, making sure that he's got a friendly voice talking to him."
His role and expectations with the Texans, a team sporting a defense on the rise with superb depth, will be far different than the weight and attention on Arnette when he first entered the NFL as a Day 1 selection.
Houston is loaded with DB talent, boasting a starting secondary group of Derek Stingley Jr., Kamari Lassiter, Jalen Pitre, Calen Bullock and C.J. Gardner-Johnson. Arnette will be competing for a spot on the roster, needing to win over a new group of coaches as a changed individual and talented contributor.
But like the expectations, Arnette is also in a far different place in life now.
"I had to take a look in the mirror," he said. "I had to make some serious life changes. And the main thing that I did was I invited back my support system, my foundation, and that's probably something I will never let go of again because I see how dangerous it is to be trying to navigate in a new world, new environment, new situations with no experience. So, I definitely learn from that end. I said to coach Johnston, I needed him to tell me no, that I couldn't play.
"That hurt my heart, you know what I'm saying? Because I'm thinking I'm doing everything right, but obviously I wasn't because things just kept happening and I had nobody to blame but myself. I'm always thankful for (Roughnecks) coach CJ (Johnson) and coach Johnston. It was just a blessing to be here."
Others have noticed it, too.
His former head coach with the Raiders, Jon Gruden, told Wilson he is proud of Arnette for reinventing himself.
"He's got a whole new identity," Gruden said. "He doesn't look the same. He doesn't act the same. He's not the same. He has changed his identity. He changed the circle of people in his life, in a good way. He's focused. He's determined. He's got to make up for some time that he lost."
Arnette's teammate with the Roughnecks, safety Leon O'Neal Jr., echoed similar sentiments: "DA is a phenomenal human being. I think we go through things in life that we wish we could take back, and emotions can take over and we make bad decisions. I think he's learning from those every single day. Him being in that room, just seeing the maturity with so much on his plate is really impressive, to be honest with you, and he was a big part of our team this year and why we were successful."
Years have passed since Arnette last lined up on an NFL field, with legal issues taking place both before and after his most recent down played. However, he's gained several supporters in his corner and, by their accounting, made strides while away.
He'll be on a short leash in his return to the league. He must prove himself on the field as much as off to catch on with the Texans, and his changed perspective will play a major role in trying to do so.
"I'm 28 years old right now with three kids, with a mom and dad that loves me and has my back right now," Arnette said. "With coaches, I feel like I've proved a complete turnaround. All the coaches that have been with me right now, I feel like their words would be more valuable because I've said a lot of things in the past. What I would say is what they see on film, that's me being out of commission for three years.
"I'm a dawg on the field. I'm more of a professional now than I ever was before. I wasn't a professional before. I was just a dawg. I found professionalism and a calm state of mind. I feel like I'm the best version of myself that I've ever been."
