Cornerback Gareon Conley‘s season is over. ESPN’s Field Yates reports (via Twitter) that the Raiders have placed the first-round pick on the injured reserve. To fill his spot on the roster, the Raiders have activated defensive tackle Darius Latham from the Reserve/Suspended list.
Conley, who was taken 24th-overall in this past year’s draft, played in the Raiders first two games of the season, compiling seven tackles and one pass defended. He suffered a shin injury shortly thereafter, and he hasn’t practiced with the team since early October. Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal tweets that the organization is particularly high on the defensive back, and there was hope that he could return this season and contribute. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport notes (via Twitter) that both sides ultimately decided on surgery, with the organization hoping that the procedure will “fix the issue for good.”
Latham was suspended back in early October for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. Despite appearing in 14 games as a rookie in 2016, the former udnrafted free agent didn’t see the field much in 2017. Prior to his suspension, Latham appeared in only one game, compiling a pair of tackles. The 23-year-old will presumably slide in behind Treyvon Hester, Justin Ellis, Eddie Vanderdoes, and Jihad Ward on the depth chart.