Charles Woodson says D.J. Hayden needs to make more plays

Oakland Raiders cornerback D.J. Hayden was activated off of the short-term injured reserve before the team’s Week 8 game against the Cleveland Browns, but the Raiders decided to play things extremely safe with their oft-injured CB, as they barely gave him any playing time. His snap count spiked big-time against the Seattle Seahawks yesterday, and he did reasonably well in coverage. According to the Pro Football Focus, the Seahawks completed just two of seven passes for 25 yards when throwing it in Hayden’s coverage, as he was excellent against  Jermaine Kearse and held Paul Richardson to just one reception for five yards on three targets. In fact, Doug Baldwin’s 20-yard reception was the lone play of significance he allowed into his coverage.

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Despite this solid display in coverage, there are still things Hayden needs to improve on, and his ball skills are on that list; he dropped two interceptions against the Seahawks. According to the San Francisco Chronicle’s Vic Tafur, Raiders veteran safety and former elite cornerback Charles Woodson stated that the team is looking for their second-year CB to make some more plays, “DJ had a chance today, he had a chance to make some game-changing plays. Now the object is to come down with those balls …”

Hayden was a massive disappointment due to inconsistent play when he was actually healthy, so the hope is that the talented Houston product can turn things around here in his sophomore season now that he’s finally healthy after dealing with a couple of major injuries. He’s still very much a boom-or-bust defensive back, but he can be a cornerstone in the Raiders secondary if he can break out.