Raiders waive Obi Melifonwu off IR

Posted by Charean Williams on October 23, 2018, 5:26 PM EDT
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The Raiders have waived safety Obi Melifonwu off injured reserve, the team announced.

A second-round pick in 2017, Melifonwu’s departure follows the exits of other highly drafted players — Amari Cooper and Khalil Mack at the top of the list — since Jon Gruden took over as head coach.

The Raiders waived Melifonwu with an injury designation during the preseason, and he reverted to injured reserve after clearing waivers. The team had hoped someone would claim him.

Melifonwu’s base salary of $669,972 this season is guaranteed.

The injury during an Aug. 6 practice was reported as a lower-body injury, continuing Melifonwu’s bad luck in staying healthy.

He started only one game as a rookie and played just four other games last season. Melifonwu first dealt with a knee problem and then a hip injury landed him on injured reserve.

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14 responses to “Raiders waive Obi Melifonwu off IR”

  2. This makes perfect sense for Gruden. No question now that he’s going to tank the next 2 seasons and build a team that he HOPES will be ready for primetime when they hit Las Vegas in 2020. Of course this also becomes a big FU to Oakland, since the team that will be playing there will suck for the next 2 years.

    I mean what does Gruden care. He has 10 years to produce a winning football team. This is only year one.

    BTW- I think trading an underperforming WR for what looks like a middle of the pack first rounder was a good deal for the Raiders.

    BTW-2 That being said, I hope the city of Oakland wins their suit to keep the Raiders colors, records and images.

  7. Great news for Melifonwu. The Raider secondary was crowded and confused. Melifonwu was very high on most all scouting reports coming out of college. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Seattle invite him in for a look.

  11. The Raiders have had one winning season in the last 16 years, and people are acting surprised that Gruden is changing things. Every HOF coach in NFL history that has taken over a team as lousy as the Raiders have been, has come in and made huge changes. Chuck Noll took over the Steelers and went 1-13 his first season, then went on to win four super bowls. He completely changed the roster. Bill Walsh took over a lousy 49ers team and went 2-14 his first year, then put together a team that won 4 super bowls. Jimmy Johnson went 1-15 with the Cowboys his first season, then made changes that resulted in 3 super bowl wins. Bill Belichick took over a dumpster fire in New England, made needed changes and won five rings. So Far, Gruden has made all the right moves, and just like all these other HOF coaches, the lousy team he inherited is not winning the first year. This isn’t nuclear science folks. Gruden is turning a lousy team into a winning team. In order to do that, he has to make changes. If you’re a Raiders fan, you’re tired of losing. These changes are a welcome thing. Anyone out there interested in learning how to build a winning team might want to watch Gruden work and take notes. For the old guys like me that watched coaches like Noll, Walsh, Johnson, and Belichick turn bad franchises into great ones, I’m enjoying every day watching Gruden work. He’s getting rid of all the lousy players, and stockpiling draft choices at an unprecedented level.

  13. He was last years 2nd round pick. Could’ve just kept him on IR. Made absolutely no sense to cut him. Gruden wants the Raiders to look like the Patriots if you know what I mean.

  14. There is no comparison between Gruden and the all-time great coaches. He doesn’t have a track record of developing talent at any position on either side of the ball. His successes? All the result of veterans at the skill positions on offense and established defenses. Rich Gannon and Brad Johnson had no young talent picked by Gruden ready to back them up if they were hurt or ineffective. Jerry Rice and Tim Brown in Oakland became Keenan McCardell and Keyshawn Johnson in Tampa Bay. Both teams had capable to all time great defenses before he arrived. His lone title was won with someone else’s players who were ready to win. It also came against a team that he led the prior season, coached by an individual who didn’t change the established game plan, so Gruden was basically unleashing the Tampa defense against himself.

    So, now he will draft new players who may or not buy into his empty accomplishments only to be traded when he feels they are not developing within a year. He has a czar complex with unchecked power, totally legitimized by his television personality exploits, which is bad news in any era unless you are an all time head coach with the credibility to back up moves being made. Belichick can trade Lawyer Milloy and Richard Seymour because he molded championship defenses in New York. The players bought in and they won titles. Chuck Noll can continue to send an average quarterback into the huddle in Pittsburgh because the defense, a power run game and athletic receivers can cover up his deficiencies. Players bought in because it worked. Bill Walsh can push Montana out of the door because he molded Steve Young to run the offense with little to no drop-off in performance. The team bought in and won even after Walsh retired. The problem is that Gruden has no credibility or track record that would indicate that he can build a title contender. He’s the kind of coach that the Jaguars need right now…all the pieces in place, just get the QB under control and keep him from turning the ball over.

    He is Rick Pitino in Boston; the guy who traded a rookie Chauncey Billups in-season during his rookie year for a washed up veteran guy. The guy who will give outrageous, cap killing contracts to players who don’t want to play for him, but are getting more than what other teams are offering. That Raiders team was 12-4 recently and needed a kick in the pants along with a Jack Del Rio detox more than a total rebuild. It won’t be long before he alienates the young and impressionable players who will stop listening as the losing and inconsistency continues (traits shown post Super Bowl-era in Tampa, now in Oakland and in the future in Vegas).

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