The Jacksonville Jaguars are getting noticeably healthier this week as there were only three players that didn’t participate in practice Wednesday. However, on Thursday, they revealed some more good news as nickelback D.J. Hayden (hamstring) was designated to return from injured reserve.
D.J. Hayden has been “designated for return” from the team’s reserve/injured list, and the club has 21 days to activate him to the 53-man roster.#Jaguars #DUUUVAL
— 𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥 𝐒𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐡 🎙 (@PhiltheFilipino) November 19, 2020
The opportunity to get Hayden Back soon is huge as he’s the most experienced member in the Jags’ secondary room. He was placed on IR after their Week 4 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals where he sustained his injury in the second half of that game.
Before his injury, Hayden had 13 tackles and one pass breakup. He was having a rough season during the first quarter of 2020, but the secondary as a whole wasn’t overly impressive as the pass-rush struggled. However, Hayden was lights out in 2019, proving to be one of the best nickels in football with a Pro Football Focus grad of 76.9.
It’s unknown whether the Jags will activate him for Sunday’s game against the Steelers (they have 21 days), but whenever he returns he could be a huge help as the Jags’ cornerbacks had a good showing against Green Bay. If he isn’t back by Sunday’s game, the Jags will continue to use Sidney Jones IV, C.J. Henderson, and Tre Herndon as their top-3 corners.
