DJ Hayden is once again missing valuable time on the field.
The Raiders cornerback underwent surgery for a stress fracture in his foot, Dennis Allen revealed on Thursday.
The Oakland coach believes Hayden could miss four to eight weeks from the time of the surgical procedure, per the San Francisco Chronicle's Vic Tafur. The surgery was about a month ago, and Hayden was subsequently placed on the physically unable to perform list.
"It's disappointing for him and for me because he's a guy we were counting on being able to step up and help us this year and he's a young player and he needs the reps."
It's a big blow for a player the Raiders are counting on to make a quantum leap in his second season. The Silver and Black selected Hayden with the No. 12 overall pick in the 2013 draft, but he didn't make an impact as a rookie. He's slated to be the team's No. 1 corner this year, and is one of the few holdovers in a revamped defense packed with veteran imports.
Hayden also was absent from part of camp last year while recovering from surgery to remove scar tissue from his abdominal region. That followed a scary Nov. 2012 incident in college where Hayden nearly died. He suffered massive internal bleeding after a routine collision with a teammate during practice at the University of Houston, and it was thought Hayden would slip in the draft amid concerns.
Hayden ended up missing half the season while dealing with groin and abdominal issues, starting in just two games. Future Hall of Famer Charles Woodson said earlier Wednesday it would be a "big setback" if Hayden misses significant practice time.Â
The Raiders will have to hold out hope their prized sophomore can put it all behind him.
The latest "Around The League Podcast" offers up team-by-team training camp previews of the NFC East and NFC West.
