Raiders Injury Update: D.J. Hayden may be out until training camp

Cornerback D.J. Hayden was selected 12th overall by the Oakland Raiders in the 2013 draft despite suffering a torn inferior vena cava in his heart during his senior season at Houston, and he then missed the final eight games of his rookie season with a groin injury. His second season has not started off a lot better from a durability standpoint, as he suffered a right ankle injury during OTAs, is still in a walking boot and now may be sidelined until training camp.

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Raiders' head coach Dennis Allen has conveyed some uncertainty about Hayden's status for the start of training camp, and since he is currently penciled into a starting spot the team would surely like to see him get healthy and get some meaningful work in before the start of the season. The Raiders intercepted just nine passes (second-fewest in the league) and finished 28th in the league in pass defense (255.8 yards per game) last year, and a bigger contribution from Hayden (one interception last year) will be key to any potential turnaround this year.

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