When the Oakland Raiders begin their preseason on Friday night against the Dallas Cowboys, it'll be without their first-round selection as cornerback D.J. Hayden will sit out, according to Michael Wagaman of the Associated Press.
D.J. Hayden injury: Raiders rookie will miss preseason opener
Hayden underwent surgery in May to remove scar tissue from his abdominal region and hasn’t yet been cleared for contact.
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Hayden suffered a slight hamstring strain at practice on Monday, but Raiders head coach Dennis Allen told reporters that he will sit out for the purpose of recovery from his offseason abdominal surgery.
“We’ll see where he’s at when we come back to work Wednesday,” Allen said. “It’s more of a relation to the surgery that he had this offseason as opposed to the heart condition.”
The 12th overall selection in the 2013 NFL Draft, Hayden is most well-known for a near-death experience in November when he suffered a tear of the inferior vena cava in practice, leading to immediate surgery to save his life. In May, Hayden underwent surgery again to remove scar tissue from his abdominal region.
While Hayden has participated in all of the team’s training camp sessions, he has been wearing a red practice jersey most commonly associated with quarterbacks, as he hasn’t yet been cleared for contact. Levi Damien of Silver & Black Pride explains:
It was initially assumed Hayden would be ready to go for camp. And while he has been practicing with his teammates, due to his long recovery and rehab time, team doctors do not feel comfortable clearing him to take hits in a game.
The Raiders are scheduled to kick off against the Cowboys at 10 p.m. ET on Friday at Oakland Coliseum.
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