Daryl Worley snaps ahead of Gareon Conley in Raiders CB battle
ALAMEDA, Calif. — Gareon Conley’s snap count dropped significantly within the last week.
The second-year cornerback registered only 13 defensive snaps in last Sunday’s loss to the Los Angeles Chargers — not even close to Week 4 against the Cleveland Browns when he played 55 snaps.
A big reason for Conley’s decrease in production is because of Daryl Worley returning and having a solid game against the Chargers. Worley played in 49 of the team’s 64 snaps on defense.
“Worley came in and played really good for his first game,” defensive coordinator Paul Guenther said Tuesday. “That added an extra guy to the mix so it’s a battle at corner right now. That’s the best way I can tell [Conley]. Everybody is competing for jobs, and we are going to go with the hot hand. That’s what he’s got to concentrate on this week.”
Worley was suspended the first four games for violating the NFL’s personal conduct and substance abuse policy in April. He was able to play and practice with the Raiders during the preseason prior to the suspension taking effect.
The Raiders have an abundance of corners, and Guenther is looking for a consistent tandem at the position. Despite only playing one regular season game, Worley has left a strong impression on Guenther.
“I want to eventually get to two starting corners so we’re settled there, but obviously Daryl came back, and like I said, he was one of our best corners all offseason, and he proved it again on Sunday that he’s a high-level player,” Guenther said. “So we’ll see how it goes, really, based upon what the snaps are, the situation, and how guys are playing, really.”
Osemele, Joseph return to practice
Guard Kelechi Osemele and safety Karl Joseph returned to practice Tuesday.
Osemele missed the loss to the Chargers after hurting his knee in Week 4 against Cleveland. . He did not practice this past week.
Joseph returns after missing the team’s last two games with bad hamstring. The third-year safety has started in 24 games for the Raiders since being drafted in 2016 but has yet to start this year, playing behind Reggie Nelson and Marcus Gilchrist.
Notable
■ Ex-Chargers owner Alex Spanos died Tuesday at the age of 95. “The Raiders family mourns his loss and our condolences go out to the entire Spanos family,” the team said in a statement.
■ Defensive end Frostee Rucker practiced Tuesday after leaving Sunday’s game against the Chargers with a neck injury.
■ This Sunday marks the Raiders’ fourth international game and their first in London since 2014. The team has a 1-2 record in the series.
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Contact Chris Booker at cbooker@reviewjournal.com. Follow @Bookerc94 on Twitter.
