Obi Melifonwu fails to stay healthy

What a failed project that safety Obi Melifonwu has been. The former second-round pick out of UConn was waived by the Raiders less than a week ago. It was a move that surprised and shocked some people. Not because he’s a great talent, but because the Raiders didn’t place him on injured reserve. That just shows us that Jon Gruden’s patience had reached its limit. The clock was ticking on Melifonwu, who has been cursed with injuries ever since he entered the league.

He had just gotten healthy in time to play in the team’s first preseason game, but sure enough he sustained another injury. Makes you think that he walked under a ladder or broke a mirror. How else can you make sense of his multiple injuries? Melifonwu had an almost spotless injury history in college. Flip the page to the NFL and he’s catching injuries like Antonio Brown catches passes.

Injuries are uncontrollable, but if your best ability is unavailability then you’re useless to the team. That’s why him being waived is disappointing. He just couldn’t get back on track. You could argue about his potential, but that’s being idealistic. Obi is now another player that general manager Reggie McKenzie drafted that Gruden has gotten rid of. McKenzie’s track record with drafting defensive backs early also takes another hit and miss.

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