Tyvon Branch

Oakland Raiders defensive back Tyvon Branch (33) is helped off the field during the first half of an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, Sept. 15, 2013. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

(Ben Margot)

Syracuse, N.Y. — Coming off the most significant injury in his six-year NFL career, Oakland Raiders safety Tyvon Branch returns with a new perspective.

"It's a wake-up call," Branch said on Saturday while helping run the free CNY Football Academy youth camp. "You start thinking about other things. You've got to get all your ducks in order, because you never know when it's going to be over."

The former Cicero-North Syracuse star suffered a season-ending ankle injury in the second game last season, and spent the rest of the year rehabilitating. Branch, who was a fourth-round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft after playing for Connecticut, said he's only had one other major injury in his playing career — a shoulder issue his rookie year that required surgery and left him sidelined for half the season.

This rehabilitation process was more challenging, but he's back to full speed.

"When I first tried to come back, I felt a little unathletic," Branch said, "but the more I worked on it, the more and more rehab I did, the better I felt. I'm moving around good now."

Branch rejoins a Raiders secondary that struggled without him in 2013, allowing the 28th-most passing yards per game at 255.8. However, Oakland is adding more than just a healthy Branch.

The Raiders signed former San Francisco 49ers cornerbacks Carlos Rogers and Tarell Brown through free agency. They'll join a group that also includes second-year cornerback D.J. Hayden and recently re-signed 37-year old veteran cornerback Charles Woodson.

Branch said he's excited to just get back onto the field and play football again.

Said Branch: "It made me a lot hungrier, having a significant injury like that and having to sit down for so long. I was joking with my friends the other day, they were like, 'Do you still play football?' I just want to get back to where I once was."

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