<
        >

          NFL Nation

          Raiders being 'patient' with injured rookie CB Gareon Conley

          • Paul Gutierrez, ESPN Staff WriterOct 23, 2017, 11:15 PM
            Close
              Paul Gutierrez joined NFL Nation in 2013 and serves as its Las Vegas Raiders reporter. He has a multi-platform role - writing on ESPN.com, television appearances on NFL Live and SportsCenter, and podcast and radio appearances. Before coming to ESPN, Gutierrez spent three years at CSN Bay Area as a multi-platform reporter, covering the Raiders and Oakland Athletics as well as anchoring the SportsNet Central cable news show. Gutierrez votes for the Baseball Hall of Fame and is also a member of the Professional Football Writers of America and currently serves as the PFWA's Las Vegas chapter president. He is also a member of the California Chicano News Media Association and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. Gutierrez has authored three books: Tommy Davis' Tales from the Dodgers Dugout, 100 Things Raiders Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die and If These Walls Could Talk: Stories from the Raiders Sideline, Locker Room and Press Box with Lincoln Kennedy. You can follow Paul on Twitter @PGutierrezESPN
            Follow on X

          ALAMEDA, Calif. -- The latest update on first-round draft pick Gareon Conley is, well, there is no update.

          Conley, who missed all of training camp and the exhibition season as well as the regular-season opener, has been sidelined with his right shin injury since playing in Weeks 2 and 3 for the Oakland Raiders. And despite having a longer-than-usual amount of rest with the Raiders having played last Thursday night, coach Jack Del Rio would not give a timetable for the rookie cornerback’s return, whether it remained a short-term or long-term situation.

          “I don’t really want to try and paint it in those terms or try and speak to his situation in those terms,” Del Rio said Monday in his weekly media conference. “I think we are going to be patient and do the right thing at the right time with him. We were trying to kind of get him going and see if we could get a little bit [out of him] and it just didn’t really appear to be making the kind of progress we need to make.

          “So, when he can do the things that he needs to do and he gets cleared to come back and be full-speed for us, then we’ll know.”

          Conley played well in his NFL debut, against the New York Jets, knocking down a deep ball near the end zone. He appeared gimpy the next week, though, at Washington, and has been a spectator since.

          The Raiders need depth at cornerback as David Amerson left Thursday night’s win with a right foot injury and did not return after playing in 45 percent of the Raiders' defensive snaps.

          Per Pro Football Focus, Amerson was targeted four times in 18 coverage snaps by the Kansas City Chiefs and gave up four receptions for 109 yards and a touchdown.

          Conley, meanwhile, took to social media after the Raiders’ last-second 31-30 victory to chastise fans. It did not go over well, as evidenced by several responses.

          Del Rio was asked if it was a foregone conclusion that Conley would play again this season.

          “I think it’s too early to speculate on that,” Del Rio said. “The idea now is to really get him healthy and let him return to action when he’s ready to be himself. And until then, just be patient.”