Arden Key OTAs

Everybody always wants to talk about Arden Key’s weight. And that’s OK with him. It beats talking about all the sacks that the Raiders defensive end didn’t have last season.

Key had a frustrating rookie season, coming in at 238 pounds and battling a shoulder injury which didn’t help him prevent being pushed around by offensive linemen. The result was one sack in 16 games.

New defensive line coach Brentson Buckner immediately put together a “highlight reel” of Key’s 12 “almost-sacks” to watch with him.

Oh, joy.

“I was here all offseason working out, so when I got here, and he got in the office, he brought me upstairs and yeah … ,” Key said on Wednesday. “Whether I fell, slipped or the quarterback got away.

“So, it was very nerve-racking because I could have had a better first year, but we all learn from those mistakes.”

Key had to learn on the fly last season, as he was drafted in the third round to be a situational pass rusher. He then saw the Raiders trade Khalil Mack and eventually cut Bruce Irvin, and Key started 10 of the 16 games he played in. Overmatched might be a little harsh, but it wouldn’t be untrue.

The 6-foot-5 Key had shoulder surgery in January — he injured it in training camp last summer — and said he has put on 15 pounds, from 245 to 260, the last two months. (Nobody asked him to jump on a scale to prove it, as he didn’t look all that much bigger, but hey, it’s June.)

This offseason has “been good, being able to get healthy from the injury,” Key said. “It’s been very informal with Coach Buck giving out a lot of information, a lot of techniques I’ve never heard of, so trying to get those techniques down.”

The Raiders didn’t do a lot to improve their pass rush this offseason, as first-round pick Clelin Ferrell is more of an all-around player/quarterback-getter and free-agent signee Benson Mayowa has 13 sacks in six seasons, including two in 28 games in his first go-round with the Raiders in 2014-15.

The Raiders wrapped up their minicamp — and offseason workouts — a day early on Wednesday, and Key is still the key. (Sorry.)

He is working with Buckner on getting both of his arms free when he gets around the tackle, as that will help him make the play and get the quarterback down.

“Yeah, that’s all Buck been teaching me, as far as my angle,” Key said. “He started (the reel) off with, I missed (that) sack just by my alignment. The ball isn’t snapped yet (but) I just missed the sack already by my alignment.

“Whether I was too wide, too tight, I didn’t turn my hips enough or I didn’t reach for him, turn my hips and different things like that. Most of it was just alignment and knowing what angles to take. Football is all about angles.”

Being able to hold your ground and generate some power also helps. While coach Jon Gruden has said he wants last year’s third-round pick to get stronger, defensive coordinator Paul Guenther wants everyone to calm down a little bit.

“(Key’s) right where we’re at,” Guenther said last week. “I know there are some reports where (they say) he’s light. We drafted Arden to be a third-down rusher. That’s what it was. You don’t want a 260-pound slug out there.

“We know exactly where we want him to be weight-wise, and his strength and conditioning is a progress thing for him right now.”

The Raiders did bring in a meal prep guy to help Key out. It’s not the most exciting menu.

“Salmon, broccoli, rice, a lot of rice, chicken, steak, asparagus and that’s it,” Key said.

And keep shoving it in; 2,500 calories combined between lunch and dinner.

“It’s annoying,” Key said. “It’s the same thing over and over again. The taste, I gotta ask them to add some hot sauce to it, or a little salt and pepper, but I gotta do what I gotta do.”