Rhule: Return of Arnold puts arguably best defender back on field

When totaling up the injuries that Baylor sustained during fall camp and the early part of the season you probably should have tallied sophomore Grayland Arnold twice based on Matt Rhule's high praise of the cornerback out of Kountze, Texas.

The Bears have seen the return of sophomore cornerback Jameson Houston and senior safety Davion Hall, both of which were placed into the starting lineup immediately, plus a handful of other defensive backs who added depth to Baylor's most depleted position.

However, Arnold, who suffered a broken bone in his arm in the final week leading up to the season opener, may not only be the most significant piece to return from injury, but also the most important piece to the entire defense.

Related: Baylor's defensive depth chart almost restored for Big 12 play

"I thought in the preseason Grayland was our best defensive player," Rhule said. "If not, two or three. He’s a significant, playmaking, game-changing corner, we believe. So even a rusty Grayland Arnold is a special Grayland Arnold."

Arnold saw significant time at the end of his true freshman season, including earning four starts against Boise State in the Cactus Bowl, at No. 13 West Virginia, at Texas and vs. Kansas. An injury in the opening minutes against Texas forced Arnold out for the following game against TCU.

He totaled a season-high 9 tackles in the bowl victory.

Now returning to the lineup, Arnold has an opportunity to help Baylor's defense take another step after a solid performance in a loss to Duke in the final non-conference game. According to Rhule, the depth is almost important as the individual talent Arnold possesses.

"That doesn’t mean he replaces anybody, that just means we can cut back on people’s reps," Rhule said. "You have Harrison as a true freshman out there playing a ton of reps. You have Blake Lynch in his third week at corner now, fourth week at corner. To have more people out there I think is great."

But that individual talent is still pretty important.

"I think Grayland’s a tilt the field type of a corner for us in our defense," Rhule said.

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