Hayden heads to IR, to miss rest of season
Cornerback may not return to Oakland as free agency beckons
ALAMEDA — We might have seen the last of DJ Hayden in a Raiders uniform.
Hayden will be placed on injured reserve and is out for the season, Raiders coach Jack Del Rio said Friday.
“He’s got a substantial hamstring (injury), so he’s not going to be returning this year for us. That was a big blow.”
Hayden, in his fourth year from Houston, was having his best season with the Raiders as a slot cornerback. He was the first firstround draft pick by general manager Reggie McKenzie, who took him 12th overall in 2013.
Slowed by injuries and inconsistency over his first three seasons, the Raiders opted to decline Hayden’s fifth-year option, making him a free agent this offseason.
It remains to be seen whether Hayden will look to move on or consider returning to a team that has locked up starting corners David Amerson and Sean Smith to four-year contracts.
Hayden, a national story after recovering from a heart procedure after a near-fatal practice injury in college, battled groin and foot injuries that cost him roster time in 2013 and 2014.
Although he had no interceptions this year and only three in his Raiders career, Hayden had shown improvement as the slot corner, particularly in terms of tackling and bringing down receivers before the firstdown marker.
Hayden led the Raiders with 12 penalties, but never backed off in terms of competitive and aggressive play. Assuming Amerson plays Sunday against Buffalo — and he said he thinks he’s ready to go after missing the Carolina game with a knee issue — TJ Carrie will likely assume slot duties.
When Hayden left in the fourth quarter against Carolina, undrafted free agent Antonio Hamilton got his most significant time with 11 snaps.
“It sucks individually for DJ and for us as a DB unit because he was an important piece,” Amerson said. “It’s jut the way this league goes, man.”
Carrie, who at times played safety last season and whose role has been reduced in 2016, has been “a pro all year … he’s prepared at all times to go in. We have a lot of confidence in TJ,” Del Rio said.
A De La Salle High and Ohio University product taken in the seventh round in 2014, Carrie said “losing DJ … is going to be critical. A lot of younger guys are going to have to step up and be on notice for whatever happens with us in the back end.”
Hamilton, an undrafted rookie from South Carolina State, has been active of late over Dexter McDonald, a seventh-round pick from Kansas in 2015.
“The coaches, they saw something in me that I really didn’t think that I had in me,” Hamilton said. “They just felt like I was going to make some type of contribution to the team, whether it was defense, or mainly playing my special teams role.”
Amerson, held out as a precaution against Carolina, with Hayden starting alongside Smith, was optimistic about returning against Buffalo Sunday.
“I feel good, man,” Amerson said. “I’m ready to get back out there and compete.”
Cornerback isn’t the only position where the Raiders’ depth will be tested. Defensive tackles Stacy McGee and Darius Latham were ruled out with ankle injuries, meaning Dan Williams and Justin Ellis could get considerable snaps, with Denico Autry and Jihad Ward available to move inside. Also out is linebacker Shilique Calhoun.
Quarterback Derek Carr, practicing without a glove for the second consecutive day, was removed from the injury list entirely.
The Raiders have dropped from No. 4 in the NFL in rushing to No. 10 after gaining 85 yards in 50 carries in the last two games. Their last carry of 10 or more yards was 59 carries ago against Denver on Nov. 6.
Coaches and running backs, however, believe in “efficiency” over yardage, which is a philosophy rooted in maintaining down and distance and converting key first downs on the ground — which happened against Houston and Carolina.
“If it’s third-and-2, do we get that two?” running back Jalen Richard said. “If it’s first and-10, do we get five to make it second-and-5? That’s getting down to the science of football. That gets lost because people are thinking about fantasy points. But when you get down to the nitty-gritty, it’s why you win games.”