Tag: Gareon Conley

Texans CB Gareon Conley still not close to returning to the secondary

The Houston Texans are not close to having cornerback Gareon Conley return to the playing field.

Cornerback Gareon Conley is still not close to returning to the playing field for the Houston Texans.

The former 2017 Oakland Raiders first-round pick has been recovering from offseason ankle surgery that has complicated his return to the playing field.

“He’s trying to get back but I don’t think that he’s where we need him to be right now,” interim coach Romeo Crennel said. “He’s had second opinions and they haven’t been able to pinpoint anything definite. We’ll have to see how he does and if he can get back.”

Conley provided Houston with 27 tackles and 11 pass breakups in eight games last season, starting in two of them. The Texans could really use his talents in Week 7 as cornerbacks Vernon Hargreaves and Lonnie Johnson are dealing with injuries following the Texans’ 42-36 overtime loss to the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium.

“I think Vernon got banged in the knee a little bit,” Crennel said. “We’ll have to see what they say about that and then Lonnie kind of got kicked in the face. I think that they’re checking him out.”

Phillip Gaines played one snap for the Texans against the Titans. Houston needs their best cornerbacks on the field to tighten up their pass coverage, and having Conley unavailable has been a hinderance.

Texans place Gareon Conley on injured reserve, announce other roster moves

The Houston Texans have placed cornerback Gareon Conley and receiver Isaiah Coulter on injured reserve, along with other roster moves.

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The Houston Texans announced Monday they have placed cornerback Gareon Conley on injured reserve to start the season.

Joining Conley is fifth-round receiver Isaiah Coulter, who has been dealing with a neck injury.

Unlike injured reserve in previous seasons, players do not need to wait eight weeks before they can come off the list. New rules allow for players to be brought back from injured reserve after three weeks.

Conley started out training camp on the physically unable to perform list as he was continuing to rehab from his offseason ankle surgery. On Aug. 10, Conley passed his physical and was able to join the team in practice.

The open roster spaces allows for the Texans to re-sign long snapper Jon Weeks and offensive lineman Brent Qvale, both of whom were released as the Texans trimmed their roster to 53 on Saturday.

Houston also announced their practice squad, consisting of 14 of the eligible 16 players allotted for 2020. The practice squad is exactly what Texans Wire tracked on Sunday.

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Cornerback is highly competitive for the Texans

The Houston Texans cornerback group has fielded plenty of competition that will make the unit stronger and the roster decisions tougher.

One the strongest units on the Houston Texans defense by the end of training camp could be cornerback.

The group has fielded multiple players who have had good camps to this point, and defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver singled out some names during media availability on Wednesday.

“We have competition on all levels of our defense, and I think that’s a sign that you have a pretty good football team,” Weaver said.

The first-year coordinator mentioned Bradley Roby and Vernon Hargreaves as having good camps. When asked if Lonnie Johnson and Gareon Conley were competing against each other for a spot, Weaver said the whole group is in competition with each other.

“Are those two in direct competition? I don’t know,” said Weaver. “Everybody is in competition in the secondary because we have good players back there.”

The Texans also have good coaching. First-year secondary coach D’Anton Lynn has taken the reins of the back end after spending the last two seasons as assistant secondary coach. Defensive assistant Deon Broomfield has worked with Lynn on the back end after having spent the last three seasons coaching cornerbacks at Indiana State.

“I’m just thrilled with the work that Coach Lynn is putting in with that group, Coach Broomfield and just the way that they’re gelling and coming together as one,” said Weaver. “It’s been awesome to watch.”

Regardless of who the Texans choose to start at cornerback in Week 1 against the Kansas City Chiefs, those defensive backs will have secured the privilege after facing stiff competition in camp.

“On our defense, you’ve got to show up day in and day out to try to earn the right to be on that starting unit,” Weaver said. “But what I tell the guys is I’m not concerned so much about starters, I’m more concerned about finishers. Who’s going to finish every play and finish games for us?”

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Safety Justin Reid says continuity in Texans’ secondary is ‘huge’

The Houston Texans have continuity in their secondary, and it is a valuable part of the defense, according to safety Justin Reid.

Much has been made about the Houston Texans’ offensive line carrying continuity from last year into 2020. However, the offensive line isn’t the only unit to benefit from the same faces returning from a year ago.

The Texans’ secondary is returning cornerbacks Bradley Roby, Gareon Conley, Lonnie Johnson, Keion Crossen, Vernon Hargreaves, and Phillip Gaines along with safeties Justin Reid and A.J. Moore.

Reid described the continuity as “huge” when speaking with reporters Thursday.

“Because now it’s not a whole bunch of new faces,” Reid explained.

The Texans do have newcomers in safeties Eric Murray, Michael Thomas, and Jaylen Watkins, but the majority of the secondary is comprised of players who were consistent starters and contributors for Houston last season.

“We already know that camaraderie, that chemistry with each other, the matchups that we’re going to be looking for,” Reid said. “The communication is probably the biggest thing in the sense that we already know those trigger terms that we use with each other communicating in the backfield whenever we work together. Just that veteran presence that you feel in the defense and the secondary.”

Reid is one of the veteran presences in the secondary, even though he is entering his third season in the league. However, Reid has played 31 games for Houston in the defensive backfield. Only Moore can boast more games played among Houston’s safeties, but Reid’s 1,823 defensive snaps to Moore’s 20 bring much more seniority to the secondary.

“We have a lot of guys that have played a lot of ball and bring a lot of different experiences and we’re able to feed off each other with that and really grow,” said Reid. “The backfield has been really strong. The communication has been good and it’s just exciting just to bring all the experience into one room.”

The Texans have a new secondary coach in D’Anton Lynn and a new defensive coordinator in Anthony Weaver, and both will benefit from coaching a group that has played so many games together.

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Texans CB Bradley Roby likes teaming up with Ohio State ‘little brother’ Gareon Conley

Houston Texans cornerback Bradley Roby is pleased to team up with fellow Ohio State Buckeye Gareon Conley in the defensive backfield.

Houston Texans cornerback Bradley Roby knows Gareon Conley all too well.

The former Ohio State Buckeye had Conley as his “little brother” in 2013, his final year with the program.

“It’s super cool for me because when I was at Ohio State, he was my little brother,” Roby said. “In your last year at Ohio State you have to get a rookie or a freshman and he has to be your little brother. He goes around with you and stays in the same hotel as you on road games. He was my little brother.”

The Denver Broncos selected Roby in Round 1 of the 2014 NFL Draft. After three seasons following in Roby’s footsteps, Conley also went in the first round to an AFC West club when the Oakland Raiders drafted him in 2017.

Roby was a free agent after 2018, and he signed a one-year deal with Houston. In 2019, the Raiders traded Conley seven weeks in, and the Texans desperately needed cornerback help as injuries ravaged the group, including Roby.

“Fast forward six or seven years, for us to be on the same team is pretty special,” said Roby. “Like I said, secondary is all about that connection you guys have and we have that.”

The Texans are hopeful the Ohio State connection proves to be successful in 2020 with Roby playing the role of a playmaking cornerback while Conley locks down the other side.

“He looks up to me and it’s fun to play with him,” Roby said.”It’s just fun to play with guys that you’re friends with. It doesn’t seem like a job then. It seems like you’re a group that’s out to accomplish big things.”

Roby signed a three-year contract with the Texans in the offseason while Houston declined to pick up Conley’s fifth-year option. Nevertheless, the Texans have big plans for the tandem in 2020.

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Texans CB Gareon Conley passes physical, can participate in training camp

Houston Texans cornerback Gareon Conley has passed his physical and can now participate fully in training camp.

The Houston Texans can now more from their cornerback group.

Gareon Conley passed his physical and was taken off the physically unable to perform list. The former 2017 Oakland Raiders first-round pick was recovering from ankle surgery he underwent in the offseason.

Defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver said Conley was “chomping at the bit” to return to the practice field.

“He is starting to feel better,” Weaver told reporters on Aug. 5. “I know he’s on PUP right now but he’s champing at the bit to get back out there. He’s already coming up to me asking about when we can watch film together so he can know what I’m thinking when I’m making play calls and things of that nature.”

Conley produced 27 tackles and 11 pass breakups in his eight games for the Texans last season, six of which he started.

While the Texans didn’t pick up Conley’s fifth-year option, the club still sees him as a key piece of their 2020 secondary.

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Texans ILB Dylan Cole, CB Gareon Conley placed on PUP list

The Houston Texans placed inside linebacker Dylan Cole and cornerback Gareon Conley on the physically unable to perform list.

The Houston Texans announced Friday the placement of inside linebacker Dylan Cole and cornerback Gareon Conley on the physically unable to perform list.

Cole is still recovering form a torn ACL that he sustained in the club’s victory over the Indianapolis Colts in Week 12 of last season. The former 2017 undrafted free agent from Missouri State was voted team captain of the special teams unit by his teammates. Cole was signed to a restricted free agent tender worth over $2.1 million in the offseason.

Conley came over from the Oakland Raiders prior to the Texans’ Week 8 encounter with the very same team. A former 2017 first-round pick from Ohio State, the Texans were in need of cornerback help after injuries ravaged the group. Houston decided not to pick up Conley’s fifth-year option for 2021, which would counted $10.2 million against the Texans’ salary cap. The cornerback also underwent ankle surgery in the offseason.

Cole and Conley are eligible to come off of a the PUP list once they pass their physicals.

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Gareon Conley could be the Texans’ lock down cornerback in 2020

The Houston Texans could have their lock down cornerback on the roster in Gareon Conley.

The Houston Texans are bringing back Bradley Roby on a three-year contract, which may give them a playmaking cornerback. The former 2014 Denver Broncos first-round pick collected two interceptions, one returned for a touchdown, forced a fumble, and produced 1.0 sack with two tackles for loss.

Opposite of Roby, the Texans may have their lock down cornerback in Gareon Conley. According to Pro Football Focus, the former 2017 Oakland Raiders first-round pick had a forced incompletion percentage of 20%, tied with the Green Bay Packers’ Jaire Alexander for the second-best in the NFL.

Alexander played in all 16 games for Green Bay. Conley played in a total of 14 with six in Oakland and then eight in Houston. Nevertheless, the results from Conley were telling.

Even though the 6-0, 190-pound cornerback was only with the Texans for half the season, he still finished second on the team with 11 pass breakups. Cornerback Johnathan Joseph, now with the Tennessee Titans, produced the most pass breakups with 13. When including Conley’s Raiders totals, he also had 13.

“Gareon Conley, making plays on the ball, really graded highly in his games with us this year,” coach Bill O’Brien told reporters on April 16.

If the Texans can field a cornerback tandem that forces quarterbacks to choose their own adventure, whether they want to test a playmaker in Roby or a sure incomplete pass in Conley, it could help the pass rush generate more coverage sacks. In any event, it provides the Texans with the confidence to face any receiving corps when they know Conley can produce incomplete passes at such a high percentage.

Is Texans CB Gareon Conley due for a breakout season?

Houston Texans CB Gareon Conley had the highest percentage of forced incomplete passes in 2019. Will the former first-rounder breakout in 2020?

The Houston Texans found a starting cornerback in Bradley Roby, and are keeping him around for the next three seasons. However, Trader Bill may have acquired a perfect complement in the middle of the 2019 season.

According to data released by Pro Football Focus, Gareon Conely had the highest forced incompletion percentage among cornerbacks from 2015-19 with a whopping 22.5% — better than the likes of Marlon Humphrey, Stephon Gilmore, and Casey Hayward, players who NFL fans have heard of.

The former 2017 first-round pick for the Oakland Raiders arrived in Houston shortly before the two sides’ Week 8 game in 2019. Conley collected 27 tackles and 11 pass breakups for Houston, second only to Johnathan Joseph’s 13 for most on the team.

Coach and general manager Bill O’Brien told reporters on April 16 that the club is “really excited” for the former Ohio State product in 2020.

“Gareon Conley, making plays on the ball, really graded highly in his games with us this year,” said O’Brien.

If Conley can continue to lock down opposing receivers at that high of an incompletion rate, it will partner well with Roby’s ability to make plays on the ball. Quarterbacks will have to pick their poison as they seek completions against new defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver’s secondary.

Texans cornerback battle: Gareon Conley versus Lonnie Johnson

The Houston Texans will have a cornerback battle when they get to training camp as Lonnie Johnson and Gareon Conley each seek a starting job.

Name a potential starting cornerback for the Houston Texans in 2020. Easy: Bradley Roby.

Name the cornerback that starts on the other side of Roby. That may be a little trickier to figure out, and the Texans coaches will have to figure that problem out if and when they get to training camp.

According to Ben Linsey of Pro Football Focus, the battle between Gareon Conley and Lonnie Johnson is the matchup to watch. Interestingly, Linsey believes that Texans fourth-round rookie John Reid will be well adjusted enough to take the starting slot cornerback position.

That leaves opposite of Roby up for grabs.

Johnson had a disastrous rookie season after his second-round selection by the Texans out of Kentucky, earning a coverage grade of 29.0 and allowing a passer rating of 133.5 into his coverage. Conley has disappointed in the context of his first-round draft status, but he has graded at 64.0 and 64.5 the last two seasons in a prominent role — solid play for a starting cornerback. Those numbers get even better press coverage, where he has graded out as one of the best players at the position across the entire NFL.

The Texans will have a deep cornerback group to work with when they get to training camp. In addition to Johnson and Conley, the Texans also have Cornell Armstrong, Keion Crossen, Phillip Gaines, and Vernon Hargreaves.

As is always the case with training camp, one of the deciding factors for the starting job will be how healthy and available Conley and Johnson are. If either one of them has to miss time with an injury, it could open up the job for the other competitor. Conley would have more to lose in that scenario since he is in the last year of his contract with the Texans, and limited reps on an expiring deal would not be an ideal way to play for a second contract.

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