Cowboys give former first-round draft pick another chance at football after successful UFL stint
The Dallas Cowboys announced they're not only signing All-UFL linebacker Willie Harvey Jr. but also adding cornerback depth through another standout of the spring pro league.Gareon Conley, a former first-round draft pick from the Raiders, has signed his deal with the team ahead of the 2024 NFL season following a workout last week.It's a fitting […]
The Dallas Cowboys announced they're not only signing All-UFL linebacker Willie Harvey Jr. but also adding cornerback depth through another standout of the spring pro league.
Gareon Conley, a former first-round draft pick from the Raiders, has signed his deal with the team ahead of the 2024 NFL season following a workout last week.
It's a fitting move for Dallas, who rarely shies away from making low-risk, high-reward deals like this: Conley is a former first-round talent that they're getting at a steep discount following a rocky start to his NFL career.
Despite having been picked with the 24th overall pick, Conley never got to a second deal in his career. He was traded from the Raiders to the Houston Texans midway through his third year in the league for a third-round draft pick before the Texans eventually declined his fifth-year option and placed him on season-ending injury in September of 2020, his final year under contract.
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.
Conley played his first regular season football since then in the UFL in 2024 and was a standout for the D.C. Defenders. Now, that leads to the former Ohio State Buckeyes National Champion getting another shot at playing in the NFL through the Cowboys.
As for the Cowboys, Conley could spice up the competition for CB4 for them, which is wide open leading up to the season. Behind Trevon Diggs, DaRon Bland, and Jourdan Lewis, it's unclear who will be in the rotation but it might include the UFL standout himself as well as young players like second-year Eric Scott Jr. and fifth-round rookie Caelen Carson.
Prior to the 2017 NFL Draft, Conley was accused of rape but a grand jury ruled not to charge.
