The Oakland Raiders are trying to improve after going just 4-12 last season and now the secondary will get a nice boost, as DJ Hayden has been cleared for contact after being held out following surgery.
According to ESPN.com, Hayden is cleared for contact for the first time since having heart surgery last November after a near-fatal injury and he was held out of summer workouts after having scar tissue removed. The Raiders are excited to get Hayden onto the field and he has competition with Tracy Porter as well as Mike Jenkins in the secondary, which had a tough night against the New Orleans Saints and Drew Brees.
Hayden was considered to be one of the best defensive players in the draft and the Raiders had issues stopping him at all, allowing five scoring drives in a 28-20 loss to the Saints on Friday. Hayden possibly will not play next week, but it's a good sign he is cleared for contact, as Porter suffered a groin injury on Friday and will be out as well. Hayden was originally injured in college after colliding with a teammate in practice and now he is on his way to a full recovery after being the number 12 pick overall in the draft.
The injury he had to his heart is usually fatal, but Hayden made it through and now he has the chance to be a starter in the NFL. The Raiders would love to get him on the field and he now can try to participate after missing everything this offseason.
"He's gone through a lot," coach Dennis Allen said Saturday. "It will be good to get him in a game situation and let him get out there and play. We brought him to New Orleans with us this week. We let him go through the pregame warm-up just to try to get that feel about being back out on the field again. He's anxious and excited about getting an opportunity to play this week."
