The Raiders did not find a team willing to take Obi Melifonwu‘s guaranteed salary off their hands. The 2017 second-round pick went unclaimed on waivers, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter), tagging the Raiders with $1.73MM in dead money.
Melifonwu reverts to the Raiders’ IR list with his guaranteed money, but with Jon Gruden having essentially given up on the second-year safety, an injury settlement could be coming. The Connecticut alum had an opportunity to impress with the Raiders’ first team earlier this month, due to injuries, but a setback related to his rookie-year hip ailment sidelined him. And he remains out as a result.
The 6-foot-4 defensive back believes he can play this season, per Rapoport. Melifonwu turned heads during his workout tour last year, impressing several teams at the Combine and in private auditions. Teams worked Melifonwu out as a safety and cornerback. He just didn’t pan out in Oakland, but it’s likely another team will extend an opportunity.
Despite Gruden making wholesale changes this offseason Oakland is still slated to use the same starting safety tandem it did in 2016 and ’17 — Reggie Nelson and Karl Joseph. Melifonwu was viewed as a possible hybrid contributor, but he only played in five games in an injury-shortened rookie season.
What a waste of a high draft pick. Kid has a ton of potential but I don’t think his heart is in the game sadly.
I remember hearing that this guy could jump out of the stadium, so his stick went just as high. UCONN and the NFL are not the same. Point being, he probably needs time. And thus, his health is paramount to his learning curve.
At 6’4” I wonder if he could play WR???