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After a year which saw Gareon Conley improve greatly on the field, the Oakland Raiders have high expectations for him in 2019. The Raiders haven’t had a consistent shutdown cornerback since Nnamdi Asomugha left in 2010. The team hoped that they had a shutdown corner when they drafted D.J. Hayden in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft, but he proved to be a flop with the Silver and Black.
Conley was drafted four years later in the first round and is expected to bring it all together in his third year. His rookie season was a wash because of injuries, but he improved greatly towards the end of last season and will hope to build upon that momentum heading into 2019.
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Gareon Conley Responds to Fan Who Made Wild Accusation
The Raiders veterans reported to training camp in Napa just yesterday, but Gareon Conley made time to respond to a fan on Twitter that made an interesting claim.
Apparently, Gareon Conley liked a picture on his girlfriend’s Instagram account that showed what appears to be a joint. Obviously, smoking marijuana is still banned in the NFL, so this fan on Twitter made the leap and claimed that Conley is going to test positive and get suspended for four games. While murmurings of a random fan on Twitter is hardly news, Conley decided to respond in order to clear up any confusion.
Most people would probably like anything their significant other posts on social media, so it’s hardly a foregone conclusion that Conley is doing something he shouldn’t with his girlfriend here. Obviously, the young cornerback getting suspended for four games would be a devastating blow for the Raiders, but don’t expect anything to come from this. Despite heading into the NFL with what some believed to be baggage due to an allegation from his college days, Conley seems to be a high-character player as he’s never found himself in trouble since being drafted.
State of the Raiders’ Secondary
With the first training camp practices set to be underway in Napa, the Raiders secondary will have their work cut out for them. They’ll be facing off against a revamped receiving corps that features Antonio Brown, Tyrell Williams and Hunter Renfrow. This is a good thing because practicing against the best will make it easier to play against elite wide receivers when the season comes around.
The Raiders secondary didn’t play particularly well in 2018, but they were actually the second-best team in the NFL against opposing team’s top wide receiver. The squad could build upon that success and do a better job as a whole. Among the additions in Oakland’s secondary are rookie’s Johnathan Abram and Trayvon Mullen and veteran Lamarcus Joyner. With so many young players manning the defensive backfield, there are a lot of unknowns. It could be a position of strength for the Raiders, or it could be a glaring weakness. Regardless, it will be a fascinating situation to watch.
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