Damon Arnette was hoping for a chance. It's taken three years, but the Houston Texans have opened that long-awaited door.
Per NFL reporter Aaron Wilson, Arnette worked out for the Texans on Monday via a free agent visit and workout. The connection makes sense given that Arnette has turning heads this spring for the UFL's locally-based franchise, the Houston Roughnecks.
Arnette has been out of professional football since the Kansas City Chiefs offered him a chance on the 90-man offseason roster back in the winter of 2022. However, his stay was short-lived after getting into (further) legal troubles after being arrested and charged with assault with a deadly weapon, carrying a concealed weapon without a permit, and multiple substance possession charges.
The former Chiefs cornerback has his first shot at returning to the NFL after years away from the league.
Given that Arnette's character concerns were already well-established at this point, including his release from the Oakland Raiders for a hit-and-run that injured a woman in 2020 and making death threats in a video in 2021, the Chiefs made the quick decision to release the cornerback after only 8 days.
Since then, Arnette has been slowly putting his life back together, and in a recent interview with Wilson, he spoke about the perspective gained from having been out of football for quite some time. The UFL offered him a chance to return to his trade after a couple of years away, and the results have been very positive for the Roughnecks.
The Raiders selected Arnette in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft out of Ohio State with the No. 19 overall pick. Arnette would put up only 29 total tackles in parts of 13 games for the Raiders over two seasons before being released—a pitiful return on the investment that represents just how miserable the team's efforts have been to build a competitive roster in the AFC West behind the Chiefs.
Arnette, who is now 28 years old, is second on the Roughnecks with five pass breakups. He also has one pick six.