Terrion Arnold missed nine games last season with shoulder injuries and a concussion, but that didn’t cloud the way the Detroit Lions’ third-year cornerback felt about his play on the field.

“Before I got hurt I was getting in my groove, figuring things out,” Arnold said last week during a charity appearance at Dave & Buster’s. “Started playing my best ball and then just dealing with that injury, nagging it, so I’m just excited to see where I’ll be at with not having any injuries and just really looking forward to being out there with my team.”

Arnold first injured his shoulder last September in a Week 4 win over the Cleveland Browns.

He aggravated the injury the next week against the Cincinnati Bengals, missed two games with what the Lions feared was a season-ending injury, then returned at the start of November before a brain injury knocked him out two more games.

When Arnold aggravated his shoulder injury again in a Thanksgiving loss to the Green Bay Packers, he decided to undergo season-ending surgery.

The Lions’ first-round pick in 2024, Arnold finished last season with a comparable passer rating against (95.0) and completion percentage allowed (56.8%) to what he surrendered during a tough rookie year (94.7 and 57%). But he snagged his first career interception in a Week 9 loss to the Minnesota Vikings and allowed just one touchdown in his final five games.

OFF THE FIELD: Inside the police incident involving Lions CB Terrion Arnold

He said he’s not sure if he’ll take part in Organized Team Activities or mandatory minicamp later this spring as he continues to rehab from surgery, but he expects to be ready for the start of training camp in July.

“As far as OTAs and stuff, I don’t know about that. That’s kind of up to them and just where I’m at with my recovery and my treatment and stuff,” he said. “But as far as training camp and stuff, I know I’m expected to be there.”

Arnold remains penciled in for one starting cornerback job in the Lions secondary while six of his associates sit in a Florida jail awaiting trial this August on felony robbery and kidnapping charges. Prosecutors describe the a case of vigilante justice designed to exact revenge for the theft of more than $250,000 in cash and goods from Arnold.

Arnold, who has not been charged in the case and has denied involvement, hosted about 25 kids with incarcerated parents for a night at Dave & Buster’s last week in conjunction with the Pure Heart Foundation.

Arnold said the cause is near and dear to him because his mother spent time in jail when he was in fifth grade.

“Just watching how people bash my mom, watching everything that they put her through and just seeing her in newspapers and stuff, and then if it wasn’t for the person I had like my grandad and my family to help build me up then I would have been a part of that broken society cause I was a broken person then,” Arnold said. “I still remember the day her mugshot was going through the newspaper, I went in the bathroom, I cried and it really just broke me down and I was really, really angry at the world and confused.

“And then just even when my mom got out, just the label and the stigma that she had, like just watching people judge her and seeing the type of person she has become now, people wouldn’t even expect that we went through that when I was younger. So I just want to be that person to be there for the kids because a lot of times you might be mad at the world, you might be angry, you might think it’s no hope for you but I’m just here to show them like, ‘Hey man, you got somebody who’s an advocate for you, you got somebody who’s going to support you, you can ask me any questions you want to ask, cause I was that person that was in your shoes.’”

Arnold on Abney

Arnold said he watched tape of cornerback Keith Abney after the Lions took him in the fifth round of last month’s draft and believes Abney will be an asset for the secondary this fall.

“He’s a playmaker,” Arnold said. “I asked a couple questions about him, he’s a smart kid, very instinctual football player. I think he’s going to come in and make a lot of big plays, make the room better.”

The Lions intend to start Abney at slot cornerback this fall, where he’ll compete for time with Roger McCreary, Christian Izien and others.

Abney had six interceptions while playing primarily as an outside cornerback the past three seasons at Arizona State.

“Some of the things that coaches were saying, they just kind of raved about his football IQ,” Arnold said. “And obviously with him playing nickel or him playing the slot, I know his football IQ is hard because playing in the slot, a lot of people kind of underestimate the position but you have to know all the checks, you have to know the run fits, you have to know personnel groupings and then on top of that, you’re kind of like, not necessarily the leader of the secondary but you’re a communicator. ... So I know he’s an instinctual football player. I’m looking forward to getting him in.”

Lions rookies report this weekend and will join veterans on field for Phase 2 of the offseason program next week.

Dave Birkett covers the Lions for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram at @davebirkett.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Terrion Arnold injury update: Lions CB eyeing training camp return