DJ Hayden out of Raiders minicamp, should be back for training camp

October 6, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders cornerback DJ Hayden (25) intercepts the ball against San Diego Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen (13) during the fourth quarter at O.co Coliseum. The Raiders defeated the Chargers 27-17. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Weeks ago some of the biggest optimism surrounding the Oakland Raiders practices leading up to training camp during voluntary OTA’s involved 2013 first round selection DJ Hayden as the promising young cornerback looked to make use of what is supposed to be his first full offseason as a pro after having to sit out most of the 2013 lead up to the regular season with recovery from complications related to his life threatening injury suffered in college.

Now Hayden has an injury setback that has already taken him out of OTA’s and now the team’s manadatory minicamp as head coach Dennis Allen confirmed that their young cornerback who the team is relying on to be atop of the depth chart come Week One is back on the injury shelf until training camp at the earliest.

Hayden’s newest setback is unfortunate for a player who is desperately trying to get his career on track after unfortunate circumstances in his senior season nearly killed him and made his NFL journey that much harder. There is still plenty of time for Hayden’s foot injury to heal is the positive side of this story as it is still only June after all, but many around Raider Nation will be more than concerned by Hayden picking up another longterm injury scare. Whether those concerns will be legitimate come the regular season remain to be seen, but for now fans will be holding their breath along with Dennis Allen as Hayden is missing valuable practice time in addition to showing more injury concerns early in his second season.