Raiders head coach Dennis Allen had
confirmed Hayden had an ankle injury during Minicamp, but later tests revealed
that Hayden had a stress fracture in his foot after no progress was made in his
recovery from the injury sustained during practices last month. Yesterday it
was reported that DJ Hayden’s foot injury would likely put him on the PUP list
for training camp, a big setback for the second year Oakland Raiders
cornerback. That was confirmed today as Hayden was one of the Oakland Raiders
on the Physically Unable to Perform list, officially ruled out with a stress
fracture in his foot that required a small surgery. Raiders DJ Hayden, Several
Raiders reporters confirmed the news, and a stress fracture in the foot could
take up to eight weeks to heal which is a massive blow to the team’s plans at
developing consistency at the cornerback position. Raiders DJ Hayden, Hayden
will likely return to action this season based on the timeline for return from
his injury, but when he does there will be a huge spotlight on the 2013 first
round pick who after hitting the IR during his rookie season is being labelled
as injury prone. Perhaps that is unfair for a player who can still come back
and play the large majority of the 2014 season, but Raiders fans who are upset
over Reggie McKenzie not drafting the likes of Sheldon Richardson and
Star Lotulelei have been harsh on Hayden in the wake of his recent
injury. Raiders DJ Hayden Hindsight is 20/20 and Hayden can still return to
have a successful second season with the Raiders, but impatient members of
Raider Nation are slowly turning on their former first round draft pick, Raiders
DJ Hayden.
