As the NFL trade deadline approached a few weeks ago, several Raiders were reported to be available.
One was the team’s No. 1 pick from 2017, Gareon Conley, the former Ohio State All-America cornerback. It seemed odd the Raiders would be open to giving away the young corner, especially after he missed so much time in his rookie season to injury. After all, Conley was ranked among the top cornerbacks in college football in his final year in Columbus, Ohio.
But, the trade deadline passed and Conley remained a Raider. The way he’s played lately, that’s a very good thing for Oakland.
Though the Raiders continue to struggle, Conley’s play has improved. He’s come back strong after being benched earlier this season.
Even the benching seemed strange. In the games before he lost his spot, Conley – according to the analytic website Pro Football Focus – allowed just a 62.3 passer rating when he was targeted. That ranked 11th among all NFL cornerbacks with at leas 100-plus coverage snaps.
His play has continued to be solid lately. In a loss to the 49ers in a nationally telecast Thursday night game this month, Conley was a bright spot. In fact, the 49ers stayed away from him and picked on others in the secondary. In 23 snaps in pass coverage, Conley was targeted just twice and allowed one catch for three yards and was penalized once.
This week, Pro Football Focus noted this, too: “Conley has been thrown at six times on third down, and all six passes have fallen incomplete. He is the only cornerback in the league (minimum two targets) who has a 100 percent success rate on third down.”
Sports
As defensive coordinator Paul Guenther has mixed and matched combinations at cornerback and safety this season, trying to find the right mix, he’s decided that Conley needs to be on the field. The Raiders need to find out how good he is and can be for 2019.
Guenther says Conley will “play a lot here for us down the stretch.”
In nine games, Conley has one interception (returned for a touchdown), seven passes defensed and has been in on 21 tackles.
The 1-8 Raiders travel to Arizona to play the 2-7 Cardinals Sunday. Kickoff is set for 1:05 p.m. NFL oddsmakers have listed the Cardinal as 5½-point favorites.
