Getty Former Raiders Daryl Worley, Karl Joseph and Gareon Conley.
Heading into the last season, the Raiders appeared to have confidence in their starting cornerback duo of Daryl Worley and Gareon Conley. That confidence didn’t last as Conley was traded halfway through the season and the team didn’t make an effort to re-sign Worley this offseason. The team embraced youth this year and while it has yielded mixed results so far, the future should be bright for their secondary.
Worley sat around in free agency for a while but eventually landed with the Dallas Cowboys. It’s no secret that the Cowboys defense has been shockingly bad this year and they’re in the midst of an overhaul. One move they made was to cut Worley loose after just seven games with the team.
Worley has never been a game breaker but Dallas has much bigger issues on defense than him. He’s had stints of looking like a solid cornerback. Put him in the right situation and he could be a decent contributor.
ALL the latest Las Vegas Raiders news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Raiders newsletter here!
Could Raiders Give Worley a Call?
The Raiders made the decision to have Trayvon Mullen and rookie Damon Arnette to start at the two cornerback spots heading into this season. While Mullen has looked elite at times, he’s also still going through some growing pains. His future is incredibly bright but still needs to be a bit more consistent.
Arnette has missed multiple games due to injury and struggled when he was on the field. Some fans might hate this idea but it might not be the worse thing ever to consider bringing in Worley for depth purposes. The Raiders allowed 256.7 passing yards per game last season, which was 25th in the NFL. Right now, they’re averaging 283.8 passing yards allowed per game, which is 28th in the NFL. It didn’t seem possible but the pass defense has gotten worse this year.
Worley knows the system and while he wasn’t great, the team could certainly do worse. It’s unlikely to happen but the Raiders should at least consider putting him on the practice squad.
Karl Joseph Looking Forward to Playing Against Former Team
Speaking of former Raiders defensive backs, they’ll be playing against former first-round pick Karl Joseph for the first time. The Cleveland Browns swooped Joseph up in free agency as the Raiders didn’t want to bring him back. The safety is pumped to face off against his former team.
“I’m not going to make it about me,” Joseph said, via the Akron Beacon Journal, “but who doesn’t like playing against their old team? Who wouldn’t want to make any big plays against their old team? So hopefully I’m able to make some big plays and help our team win.
“At the end of the day, that’s what matters. I’m definitely looking forward to that. I love all those guys over there [with the Raiders] — the staff, and the players are like my brothers.”
Joseph has been banged up recently but he should play against the Raiders. He’s started four of five games played for the Browns and seems to have found a home there. It will be interesting to see how he plays against his former team.
READ NEXT: Jon Gruden Hints at Potential Raiders Trade Ahead of Deadline