It was roughly six weeks ago that Oakland Raiders cornerback D.J. Hayden had surgery to repair a stress fracture before the start of camp. He was initially given a six to eight week time table for recovery and it looks like the latter of the projections is the more realistic target.
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Raiders head coach Dennis Allen was asked about Hayden potentially starting the season on the physically unable to perform list, and he suggested that he would return during the preseason.
“I expect to see him before preseason [ends],” Allen said, via ESPN.com, “but we’ll have to wait and see. He is getting better, but he is not ready to be out here playing football yet.”
Hayden’s rookie season both started and ended late because of injuries. It has put the former 2013 first-round draft pick at a disadvantage and teammate Charles Woodson called it a big setback.
“As I’ve said many times, the most important thing in this game is being out on the field,” Woodson explained, via NFL.com. “There’s only so much being in the film room and studying plays can do for you. It can only take you so far. You need to be out there.”