Oakland Raiders: Gareon Conley closer to Week 1 start
By Nick Sparrow
With Gareon Conley finally returning to practice for the first time since June, the Oakland Raiders must judge if he can be ready to start Week 1.
The Oakland Raiders defense got good news on Tuesday when their top draft selection, cornerback Gareon Conley, finally returned to practice. The Raiders selected Conley with the 24th pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, but he had not practiced since June 13.
The Raiders and general manager Reggie McKenzie had publicly said that Conley was not practicing due to shin splints. However, those comments were cast into doubt two weeks ago when Conley denied that diagnosis on Twitter.
Since then, neither the Raiders, Conley, or McKenzie have discussed the injury any further with the media. Whatever the injury might be, Conley seems to be on the mend.
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On Tuesday the Raiders removed Conley off of the PUP and allowed him to practice. This would be the first time Conley has practiced in 76 days. The Raiders did not make Conley available to the media after practice, so it remains unclear just how much he actually did today, as well as the status of his mysterious injury.
It is clear that the Raiders want Conley healthy and ready to start Week 1 against the Tennessee Titans. The Raiders have struggled defensively during this preseason. Over three games, the Raiders defense is ranked 26th in points allowed and 21st in yards allowed.
The Raiders current No. 1 cornerback, Sean Smith, was not allowed demoted to second team defense due to struggles earlier in camp, but is also now facing assault charges. If Smith is suspended, Conley being on the field becomes even more important to secondary.
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If Smith is suspended, Conley being on the field becomes even more important to secondary. Oakland’s defensive struggles have been one of the only lingering problems during their preseason and they are hoping their first-round pick could bring some stability.