Following the win over the Dallas Cowboys in the preseason opener last Friday, the Oakland Raiders showed signs of promise with a few rookies emerging as impact players right out of the gate. Although rookies Sio Moore and Brice Butler made their presence known with some impressive play, the team’s top draft pick, D.J. Hayden, was unable to get on the field with hamstring injury.
With Hayden battling a hamstring injury, the rookie cornerback will not be able to make his debut for the Raiders until the team’s third preseason game against the Chicago Bears.
Fortunately, Hayden returned to practice in a non-contact capacity according to Scott Blair of CSNCalifornia.com via Twitter:
DJ Hayden back at practice. Still in red non-contact jersey. At least it means hamstring is better.
— Scott Bair (@BairCSN) August 12, 2013
Despite Hayden’s return to the practice field, the Houston standout still won’t suit up for the Raiders until August 23 against the Bears. Blair says Hayden will be ready for the team’s third preseason against and will be cleared for full contact on Friday:
Hayden expected to be cleared for full contact in Friday, expected to play against Chicago
— Scott Bair (@BairCSN) August 12, 2013
With Moore and Butler making impressions in the first game against the Cowboys, it’ll be interesting to see if Hayden will have a similar impact once finally ready to make his debut in two weeks.
As of right now, the Raiders appear to be better than expected on both sides of the football. If the all-around performance against the Cowboys was any indication, Oakland may continue to surprise moving forward.
