Sio Moore Will be Out Until At Least Training Camp After Surgery

Dec 7, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) and Oakland Raiders outside linebacker Sio Moore (55) talk after a play in the third quarter at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

Oakland Raiders linebacker Sio Moore has had his share of injuries during his two years in the NFL, but those injuries have always been minor ones that have allowed the former third round pick to remain on the field where he has shown plenty of promise. However a hip injury that required surgery before the final three games of the 2014 season appears to be sidelining Moore for much of the 2015 offseason process for the Raiders.

More from Las Vegas Raiders News

Moore went under the knife in December and it was assumed that the surgery on his hip was going to be a long process based on the seriousness of the injury, but the recovery process is now going to eat into the beginning of the team’s lead up to training camp. Which will be the earliest that the linebacker could return to the team with anything prior to the opening of camp off of the table for Moore.

General manager Reggie McKenzie confirmed that Moore will be out when OTA’s begin in early April, a setback that was anticipated and will lead to concerns about the third year talent being able to be comfortable with a new defensive scheme once training camp begins under new defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr.

“He should be ready,” McKenzie said of Moore’s training camp status on Wednesday during the 2015 NFL Scouting Combine. “There’s nothing negative to suggest that he won’t be ready for training camp. He had major surgery, so it’s going to take him awhile to get back. We’re not going to have him push through just to have him ready for the start of OTAs. We’re not going to do that.

“We’ll be smart about it. We’re going to let him rehab and get strong. Barring any setbacks, he should be ready by training camp.”

Major hip surgery also will be a concern regarding Moore’s explosiveness, but if he takes the time to recover as indicated by McKenzie there should be a good chance the linebacker will be his normal self when he is fully healthy. Moore’s return will be key to the Raiders success as he registered 90 tackles last season, continuing to be a surprise after McKenzie found him in the third round of the 2013 Draft out of UCONN.

The second concern for Moore will be becoming familiar with new head coach Jack Del Rio and Norton Jr.’s defensive principles, something that will be up to the linebacker to ensure that he is familiar with what is going to be changed before stepping onto the training camp field. There will likely be plenty of communication from the coaching staff to Moore as he is a key player to allow the linebacker to stay up to speed even as he will be absent from OTA participation during his recovery.

If Moore can return for a full camp that will be the first sign that the linebacker will be his normal self after the major hip surgery he underwent, but there should be some monitoring of the now third year Raider going forward as serious injuries can slow even young players like Moore if not properly healed. The injury happening late in the 2014 season allows Moore to get a full recovery schedule that if executed properly, should allow him to come back to his normal self in 2015 even if the possibility of a slowed down version of the outside linebacker come training camp is out there.

Home/Las Vegas Raiders News