Free agency is usually a time when good players are paid great money. Sometimes those moves work out, but more often than not, they fail to live up to expectations.
However, that couldn’t be further from the truth regarding the Raiders and Casey Hayward Jr. Signed after the draft, Hayward has been everything the Raiders had hoped for and more. He’s been one of the league’s best cornerbacks and a big reason the defense has had success.
In a recent article by senior writer Matt Bowen of ESPN, he ranked all of the league’s top cornerbacks by skillset. And when it comes to zone coverage, no corner in the league has been better than Hayward this season.
Here is what Bowen had to say about the veteran cornerback this season in his first year with the Raiders:
“The Raiders have played 280 snaps of Cover 3 this season, far and away the most in the league. But that’s also a prime fit for Hayward as a corner in the outside third of the field. He is an experienced zone coverage defender who has an excellent feel for the discipline and structure of three-deep, four-under coverage.
And that allows him to blanket routes down the field and stay on top of wide receivers, while also squeezing in-breakers from an outside leverage position. He’ll tackle, too. Gotta have that in zone defense.”
Hayward signed a one-year deal with the Raiders at just $4 million. He is one of the biggest values in the league as he has not allowed a single touchdown this season despite playing nearly every snap on defense.
Despite his age (32), the Raiders should make it a priority to bring him back this offseason. He’s made a world of difference for the secondary and has been a lockdown cornerback. Simply put, Hayward has been one of the NFL’s best cornerbacks during the 2021 season.
