Oakland Raiders trade Gareon Conley to the Houston Texans in surprising move

The Oakland Raiders have traded cornerback Gareon Conley to the Houston Texans in exchange for a third-round pick in a stunning development.

The Oakland Raiders were expected to be buyers at this year’s trade deadline, at least if recent rumors are to be believed, but it looks as though they’ve preluded that buying with a little bit of seeling in the former of cornerback Gareon Conley.

The Athletic’s Vic Tafur is reporting that the Raiders have traded Conley to the Houston Texans in exchange for a 2020 third-round pick. This comes on the heels of an abysmal showing by the pass defense in Sunday’s 42-24 loss to the Green Bay Packers.

Aaron Rodgers lit up the Raiders secondary to the tune of 429 yards and five touchdowns despite playing without his top target in Davante Adams. Conley, in particular, struggled.

The Raiders originally drafted Conley with the 24th pick in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft. After missing pretty much all of his rookie season with a shin injury, the Ohio State product returned and put together an up-and-down second season.

Conley showed flashes of being a shutdown No. 1 cornerback but struggled with consistency. And his play this season was more of the same.

At points, Conley would look like one of the better cornerbacks in the conference. But too often he would be burnt deep, called for boneheaded penalties, or simply beat by his man.

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Gareon Conley has potential, but he’s simply failed to reach it in his third NFL season. And it seems as though the Raiders were done waiting around.

Given that he was drafted by the old regime, he was always going to be on a shorter leash. And head coach Jon Gruden isn’t someone who is known for allowing particularly long leashes to begin with.

All of that likely contributed to his departure.

Now, the Raiders are still expected to be buyers if reports are to believed. NFL insider Benjamin Allbright reports that the Raiders “aren’t done” and are expected to be on “the acquiring side” as well.

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While there are needs up and down the defense at both pass rusher and off-ball linebacker, it now seems likely that the Raiders make a move for a cornerback. High-profile names like Chris Harris Jr. and Patrick Peterson remain available but those aren’t the only targets.

We recently suggested that the Raiders make a deal for Cincinnati Bengals cornerback William Jackson and the former first-rounder could make for an intriguing target.

If not, expect rookies Trayvon Mullen and Isaiah Johnson — the latter was recently designated to return from the injured reserve and has yet to make his debut — to receive more snaps in the secondary with veteran Daryl Worley serving as the de facto No. 1 option for the time being.

Of course, it’s very possible that Oakland makes a move before their next game on Sunday. In fact, they might not have to wait long to see Conley’s return as the team will square off with the Texans in just six days time.

It seems that bigger moves are on the horizon for the Raiders. The trade of Gareon Conley was seemingly only the beginning.