Ohio State Buckeyes national champion's seemingly dead NFL career resurrected with latest news
Ohio State Buckeyes national champion Gareon Conley is back on an NFL roster and even better, has a legitimate shot at sticking around and earning a role, even as the "next man up" behind a starting lineup.The Dallas Cowboys announced they signed Conley on Wednesday following a workout with the team in which several UFL […]
Ohio State Buckeyes national champion Gareon Conley is back on an NFL roster and even better, has a legitimate shot at sticking around and earning a role, even as the "next man up" behind a starting lineup.
The Dallas Cowboys announced they signed Conley on Wednesday following a workout with the team in which several UFL standouts participated.
Most recently, Conley played for the D.C. Defenders. The news gives the former Buckeye, who was picked in the first round of the 2017 NFL draft, a chance to resurrect an NFL career that was seemingly dead as he hasn't played in the league since 2019 when he suffered a scary season-ending injury that led to him being carried off the field in a stretcher.
For Conley, injuries were always a big-time obstacle when he arrived at the league, as I laid out in an article breaking down the move for the Cowboys:
Conley's big problem in the NFL were always his injuries: He missed most of his rookie season as he was inactive for six games due to a shin injury before being placed on season-ending IR. In Year 2 of his career, he suffered a concussion before being benched and in 2019, Conley was taken off the field in a stretcher due to a scary-looking neck injury. After sitting out from the NFL since 2020, it seemed like the end of Conley's career in the league until now.
But having played a full season in the UFL – and standing out in the process – is just what Conley needed to remind teams why he was once drafted in the first round. As long as he remains healthy, he should have a legit shot at sticking around on the Cowboys' 53-man roster.
Although Mike Zimmer's defense will have one of the best starting lineups in the league at cornerback thanks to Trevon Diggs, DaRon Bland, and Jourdan Lewis (former Michigan Wolverine), the team lacks a clear-cut option at CB4.
Conley will essentially be competing against inexperienced, late-round draft picks in Eric Scott Jr. (2023 6th Round) and rookie Caelen Carson (2024 5th Round). Some veterans like Nahshon Wright will also throw their hat in the ring but it's a very winnable competition for Conley.
This is all to say this is a legit shot at a great comeback story and not just a "body for training camp" kind of signing. Now it's Conley's time to seize it.
