Raiders’ Melifonwu sees season end with hip injury
Second-round pick plays just five games before hip surgery
ALAMEDA >> Raiders second-round pick Obi Melifonwu played in only five games this season before hip surgery ended his rookie year.
Melifonwu, the 56th overall pick from Connecticut in the 2017 NFL draft, had surgery this week, Raiders coach Jack Del Rio said Friday. Despite Melifonwu only first appearing on the injury report Wednesday, Del Rio said Melifonwu’s hip issue has lingered since before last Sunday’s game in Kansas City.
Melifonwu missed the first eight games of the season while on injured reserve with a leg injury suffered before the season. The safety made his regular-season debut in Miami, playing seven defensive snaps in Oakland’s 2724 win. After the bye week, Melifonwu started at left cornerback — not safety — against New England. The decision backfired, and Patriots receiver Brandin Cooks burned Melifonwu for a 64-yard touchdown play to start the second half while Melifonwu struggled overall.
He played 26 defensive snaps in that game but only one combined in the three games since. Against the Broncos, Giants and Chiefs, Melifonwu was restricted almost exclusively to special teams duty. Coaches hyped the athletic specimen as a tight end stopper, but Melifonwu never got a chance to show that part of his arsenal.
The Raiders’ first two picks in the 2017 draft finish this season with a combined seven games played due to injury. Cornerback Gareon Conley, Oakland’s firstround pick, played in Weeks 2 and 3 before heading to injured reserve with a shin injury.
Cornerback Antonio Hamilton (knee) will be activated off injured reserve for Sunday night’s game against Dallas to replace Melifonwu on the 53-man roster, Del Rio said.
• Amari Cooper will miss his second game of the Raiders’ last three after re-injuring his left ankle against the Chiefs.
Cooper initially sprained his ankle on the same play he suffered a concussion against Denver in Week 12. He missed the following Sunday’s game against the Giants, but cleared concussion protocol that Wednesday and suited up against Kansas City.
In the second quarter, the wide receiver blocked on a pitch for running back DeAndre Washington. A cluster of players fell on his left leg at the end of the play, and Cooper let out a scream. He didn’t play the final 2 1/2 quarters, finishing with one target and no catches, and didn’t practice this week.
After Sunday night’s game against the Cowboys, Cooper will have played less than four quarters combined in Oakland’s prior four games.
Asked if Cooper’s injury is a long-term issue, Del Rio said, “We have a chance to get him back.”
• Also out for Sunday’s game are defensive end Mario Edwards Jr. and tight end Clive Walford.
Edwards injured his ankle last Sunday and Walford suffered a concussion in the same game.
Cornerback David Amerson is doubtful for Sunday’s game with a foot injury. He has missed the last six games. Amerson didn’t practice Friday but worked on an agility ladder right beside Del Rio’s news conference.
Questionable for the Raiders are defensive lineman Denico Autry (hand/ankle), guard/center Jon Feliciano (concussion) and defensive back Keith McGill (knee). All three practiced Friday in a limited capacity.