ALAMEDA – Daryl Worley has served his four-game suspension. The Raiders cornerback was prohibited from playing after violating NFL policies of personal conduct and substance abuse, but can return to practice this week leading up to a Week 5 contest against the L.A. Chargers.
Expect the 23-year old cover man to push for snaps soon. He was one of the team’s top cornerbacks during the preseason, and might have been named a starter without a suspension looming. The league was expected to take punative action after Worley pled guilty to DUI and resisting arrest following an April 2018 incident with police in Philadelphia that got him cut by the Eagles. The Raiders picked him up knowing full well he could miss the start of the season.
“We like Worley and the job he did during the offseason,” Raiders head coach Jon Gruden said. “He’s a good player. We’ll see where he is (after the layoff), and we’ll make any adjustments we need to make in a few days after we see where he is.”
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Worley can practice this week as a roster exemption, but must be added to the 53-man roster by Saturday to play against the Chargers. He hasn’t practiced since the regular season began – he has been allowed to be at the facility and attend meetings with the squad – so the Raiders can assess his physical conditioning and his readiness to contribute against the Chargers.
Teammates have been impressed with Worley’s focus even during this down period.
“He handled the situation great,” cornerback Rashaan Melvin said. “He has paid close attention to what has been going on and stayed in tune with the game plan even though he wasn’t playing. He came in and worked out and did his own work on the field. You could tell that he never lost focus. He wanted to play really bad, and wanted to be ready when his time came.”
That time is now. The Raiders have rotated Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie in with Melvin and Gareon Conley. Having Worley in the mix will push those guys, but Gruden would eventually like to settle on every-down cornerbacks in the base defense.
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“We’re still trying to find the right mix on defense,” Gruden said. “We’re trying to find the right combination, but we have guys we’ll move in and out of the lineup at times.”