OAKLAND – Raiders cornerback D.J. Hayden slipped on the O.co Coliseum turf, overextended himself and pulled up lame. He left the field clutching his left leg, with a pained expression on his face. He reached the sideline and slammed his helmet in disgust.
The often-injured cover man worried about a groin strained just three games after returning from the physically unable to perform list.
Hayden’s missed 15 of 25 games played since he was selected No. 12 overall in the 2013 draft. A sports hernia cut his rookie season in half, and a fractured foot kept him out this season’s first seven weeks.
Hayden didn’t finish Sunday’s 41-17 loss and was in some pain in the postgame locker room, but he didn’t believe the strain was something serious.
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“It’s a little tweak,” Hayden said. “I’m good. I’ll discuss it more with the training staff. We’ll see how it goes as the week rolls on.”
With cornerbacks Carlos Rogers, TJ Carrie and Chimdi Chekwa nursing injuries, the Raiders certainly hope Hayden’s optimism is well placed. They’ll need him to play significant snaps next week if parts of the aforementioned trio can’t come back to play San Diego.
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Hayden’s injury was a disappointing end to a game that started well. He had an interception on Denver’s opening drive and provided tight coverage at times. He also allowed one touchdown, possibly two and couldn’t shed a block as the last line of defense on another Broncos end zone jaunt.
In other injury news, the Raiders reported that right tackle Menelik Watson was evaluated for a concussion. Interim head coach did not elaborate on Watson's status after Sunday's game.
