Raiders top pick Conley’s year over
Gareon Conley has been placed on injured reserve by the Raiders, ending the 2017 first-round pick’s rookie season, the team announced Monday afternoon.
ESPN’s Field Yates first reported the news.
Conley hadn’t practiced since Oct. 6 while dealing with a shin injury. Oakland took Conley 24th overall out of Ohio State in April’s draft, and the injury held him out of the season opener in Tennessee. Conley returned for games at home against the Jets and at Washington, however, and the corner had seven combined tackles in those two games.
Conley’s absence is nothing new to the Raiders’ struggling secondary, which has to face Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in Mexico City this weekend. Starting cornerback David Amerson missed Oakland’s game in Miami with a foot injury, and TJ Carrie, Dexter McDonald and Sean Smith handled cornerback duties against the Dolphins.
Defensive tackle Darius Latham was reinstated from a four-game suspension as a corresponding move.
LASCO’S INJURY NOT CAREER-THREATENING
» Saints coach Sean Payton says running back and special teams player Daniel Lasco needs surgery for a bulging disc in his spine that will end his season but “won’t be career-threatening.”
Lasco, a second-year pro out of Cal, was taken from the field in an ambulance during the first half of a game in Buffalo on Sunday. Lasco collapsed after attempting to tackle Bills kick returner Brandon Tate. The Saints announced later that Lasco had feeling in his extremities when he was taken to a hospital.
Payton, who provided an update on Lasco on Monday, says Saints coaches and players were relieved
that Lasco was able to fly home with the team Sunday evening and that “the prognosis is good.”
The 25-year-old Lasco has played primarily on special teams in seven games last season and three games this season. PANTHERS 45, DOLPHINS 21 » Cam Newton threw for 254 yards and four touchdowns and former Stanford star Christian McCaffrey scored touchdowns rushing and receiving for Carolina.
Carolina (7-3) set a franchise record with 548 yards from scrimmage and remained a half-game behind the NFC South division leading Saints.
The Dolphins (4-5) have lost three straight.
The game turned with 41 seconds left in the first half when Luke Kuechly intercepted Jay Cutler with Carolina leading 10-7. Four plays later, Newton connected with Ed Dickson on a 7-yard touchdown pass, the first of five straight Carolina touchdown drives. CHARGERS’ RIVERS IN CONCUSSION PROTOCOL » Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers is in the NFL’s concussion protocol after reporting symptoms of a possible head injury.
Coach Anthony Lynn is hopeful Rivers can play on Sunday when Los Angeles (3-6) hosts Buffalo. Kellen Clemens is the backup. MCADOO TO STAY AS GIANTS COACH » Ben McAdoo is staying as coach of the New York Giants, at least until the end of the season.
Giants co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch issued a statement Monday saying while they are frustrated and disappointed with the Giants’ 1-8 record, they won’t evaluate the team and make any moves until the end of the season. BENGALS’ BURFICT DODGES SUSPENSION » Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict won’t be suspended for the contact with an official that got him ejected from a 24-20 loss at Tennessee. A league spokesman said that Burfict faces a fine only.