Raiders shut down first-round pick Conley

Nov 16, 2017 - 5:44 PM ALAMEDA, Calif. -- The Oakland Raiders have decided to shut down first-round draft pick Gareon Conley so he can concentrate on 2018. Conley, a cornerback, was placed on injured reserve Monday effectively ending his season. He would be eligible to return to the active roster in eight weeks, but that would be Jan. 8.

A lingering shin injury sustained during organized team activities went on longer than anyone anticipated, with Conley healing up enough to play well in a Week 2 win over the New York Jets, but struggling in Week 3 against Washington.

Conley, drafted out of Ohio State, hasn't played since, and has been spotted wearing an electrical stimulus apparatus.

The Raiders, meanwhile, were expecting big things from the No. 24 pick in the draft and the team has yet to intercept a single pass through nine games this year.

Conley's condition is shrouded in mystery. The rookie hasn't discussed it. General manager Reggie McKenzie originally called it "shin splints," a condition that normally comes from repetition, while he recently said Conley originally was "kicked," suggesting a trauma.

Either way, the injury robbed the secondary of a potential play-maker.

"There's no question we miss him," McKenzie said before he was placed on injured reserve. "He came in hitting the ground running. We felt really good about him during the offseason until he got kicked and that's the way it is. But he is a good football player and he will have a great career."

Conley was cleared of a sexual assault allegation in training camp, which seemingly cleared the way for what the Raiders hoped would be a strong rookie year.

No one is sure why Conley's condition is taking so long to heal.

"People's bodies are different, when you have those types of injuries, you wait and see if it can heal and feel better and good enough to play," McKenzie said. "He was feeling better, then he had a setback. We're just going to have to move on."

Compounding the problem for the Raiders is that starting cornerback David Amerson has been inconsistent and is coming off his third career concussion as well as a foot injury. Cornerback Sean Smith, a big-ticket free-agent signing in 2016, was a frequent target of opposing quarterbacks early in the season.

The good news is that second-round pick Obi Melifonwu, a safety out of Connecticut, played seven snaps against Miami in his first action of the season after missing eight games on injured reserve with a knee injury.

--With cornerback Gareon Conley and safety Obi Melifonwu contributing little, and second- and third-round draft picks from a year ago (defensive tackle Jihad Ward and linebacker Shilique Calhoun) failing to seize playing time, the Raiders haven't gotten much immediate contribution out of the last two drafts.

General manager Reggie McKenzie, the NFL executive of the year as voted by both his peers (Sporting News) and the Pro Football Writers Association, is being patient. Defensive tackle Eddie Vanderdoes (third round) has started as has fifth-round middle linebacker Marquel Lee for a time.

Two offensive tackles, David Sharpe (fourth round) and Jylan Ware (seventh), have been inactive every week and are learning behind established veteran players.

"I'm really not (concerned)," McKenzie said. "Other than the two injuries, the (production) from a role standpoint is there. The tackles have got to sit and wait their turn. But we feel good about what we have in the draft."

--McKenzie stopped short of saying a Week 3 27-10 loss to Washington hurt the Raiders' confidence, but conceded it was a turning point in the season.

"I don't know about the confidence, but it shook 'em," McKenzie said. "It shook all of us. It shook us enough so that everybody had to look in the mirror and say, 'Let's get this thing going.' We had to regroup. It was a punch in the gut."

The regrouping took some time. The Raiders lost to Denver, Baltimore and the Chargers in the weeks following the Washington loss.

--The Raiders raised some eyebrows in the offseason when, with the sixth-ranked offense in the NFL in 2016, loaded up on more offense with the free-agent signings of tight end Jared Cook, wide receiver/kickoff returner Cordarrelle Patterson and tackle Marshall Newhouse, and then traded for running back Marshawn Lynch.

Despite struggles on defense, the Raiders signed only linebacker Jelani Jenkins, who didn't make it out of training camp.

"I think the bottom line is trying to get the best players to help your team at that point," McKenzie said. "You have enough money to sign certain guys. We got the opportunity to sign some of those guys on offense; we went after it. We felt like those guys were better than the players we were going after on defense. More impactful.

"We just could not do it on defense. We tried to address that in the draft."

NOTES: CB David Amerson is expected to be on the field after being inactive the past two games with a foot injury. ... TE Jared Cook is on pace for 69 receptions, which would be the most for a Raiders tight end since Brandon Myers had 79 in 2012. ... LB NaVorro Bowman has 32 tackles in three games, trailing only Cory James (45) among Raiders linebackers. ... P Marquette King has 17 punts inside the 20-yard line with only two touchbacks. ... DL Mario Edwards Jr. is second to Khalil Mack on the Raiders with 3.5 sacks.



REPORT CARD AFTER 9 GAMES

--PASSING OFFENSE: C -- So much was expected, and very little delivered. Quarterback Derek Carr is completing 65.2 percent of his passes, but has already exceeded his 2016 interception total (he has seven) and has probably only looked like last year's MVP candidate in two games. Tight end Jared Cook leads the Raiders in receptions (39) and yards (499). Michael Crabtree remains Carr's go-to guy in the clutch (six touchdown receptions). Amari Cooper had one big game and has been MIA otherwise. Lots of drops across the board, with Cooper (10) the main culprit.

--RUSHING OFFENSE: D -- An anemic 87.6-yard average per game that ranks 26th in the NFL as the Raiders have struggled to assimilate Marshawn Lynch (323 yards, 3.8 average) to the system. Weeks 1 and 9 were basically it as far as Lynch contributing to a win. The yards per carry are also down for Jalen Richard (4.3) and DeAndre Washington (2.9), the second-year change-of-pace backs. The offensive line hasn't been the same in terms of pushing other teams back.

--PASS DEFENSE: D -- Nine games without an interception is unprecedented since the 1970 NFL merger. What little decent play the Raiders have had has come during times when they rally up and make the tackle to get up off the field. CB David Amerson has been injured and inconsistent, and CB Sean Smith, who has played better of late, probably would have been cut if rookie Gareon Conley had been healthy -- which he isn't. Veteran free safety Reggie Nelson is too often a step late. Not nearly enough from the pass rush, with even Khalil Mack disappearing for stretches, mostly because of double teams.

--RUSH DEFENSE: C-plus -- It's pretty much a middle-of-the-pack effort so far. The grade dropped from low-B status the past two weeks, after LeSean McCoy gained 151 yards and Miami's non-existent running game averaged 4.8 yards per carry. Strangely enough, those games came after the trade for veteran LB NaVorro Bowman, who is already climbing the charts in terms of 2017 tacklers. Nose tackle Justin "Jelly" Ellis has been a bright spot in his fourth season as an anchor and Mack remains one of the NFL's top run defenders.

--SPECIAL TEAMS: B -- Punter Marquette King has a 50.3-yard average and a 45.5 net, and he has placed 17 punts inside the 20-yard line with only two touchbacks. He is one of the NFL's best. Giorgio Tavecchio may just keep the job for the rest of the season after nailing a 53-yard field-goal attempt before halftime against Miami that ended up being the winning points. Sebastian Janikowski is on injured reserve. Coverage has been decent and Cordarrelle Patterson (30.8 average on kickoff returns) has provided good starting points, but Jalen Richard has gotten nowhere in punt returns (5.4 average with a long of 13 yards).

--COACHING: D -- The Raiders have already exceeded last year's loss total through nine games and are another bad game away from being out of the playoff chase. Lots of blame to go around from the top down. The Raiders have come out flat in some games, have looked unprepared in others and offensive coordinator Todd Downing has struggled to put together a system that can get the best out of Carr and incorporate Lynch. Head coach Jack Del Rio says the buck stops with him, and he's right.