The Raiders have waived/injured safety Obi Melifonwu, according to a press release from the team. The move will help create room for the signing of cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. 
Per league procedure, Melifonwu will be placed on injured reserve if he clears waivers on Friday. Given Melifonwu’s inability to stay healthy, that may be the likely outcome. After that, the Raiders will probably work out an injury settlement to terminate his deal, making him a free agent.
Melifonwu was looking to carve out a role on Jon Gruden‘s team this year, but he has so far been unable to bounce back from hip surgery. Earlier this offseason, Gruden indicated that he wasn’t very optimistic about the UConn product’s outlook
“It doesn’t look close at all,” the head coach said of the 2017 second-round pick. “I’ll leave it at that. He doesn’t look close, to me, at all...I haven’t seen much of Obi except in the training room.”
The good news is that the Raiders have plenty of other options at safety, including Karl Joseph, Reggie Nelson, and Marcus Gilchrist. It’s also possible that DRC will be asked to contribute in the middle of the field.
Melifonwu appeared in just five games last year and finished out with just seven total tackles. That’s a far cry from his 118 tackles as a college senior.
Could Oakland kindly release Shalom Luani so Seattle can pick him up….
Yeah, you wish