One of the biggest reasons for the improvement on defense this season for the Raiders has been the secondary. They’ve gotten great play out of their cornerbacks and specifically, Casey Hayward Jr.
The veteran has been excellent for the Raiders this year as he was reunited with defensive coordinator Gus Bradley. He has not allowed a touchdown this season and opponents have started avoiding him all together.
In a recent article by Doug Farrar of the Touchdown Wire, he named his All-Underrated team so far this year. Not surprisingly, Hayward made the list. Here is just a snippet of his thoughts on the soon-to-be Pro Bowl cornerback:
“Whether he’s playing press or off-coverage, Hayward merges his athleticism with outstanding diagnostic skills through the play to present serious issues for opposing quarterbacks and receivers.
This season, in 298 coverage snaps, Hayward has allowed just 11 catches on 23 targets for 122 yards, 25 yards, no touchdowns, five pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating 64.0.
Again, there’s more — a lot more — to great defensive back play than just interceptions.”
Hayward is currently the highest-ranked cornerback on Pro Football Focus after nine weeks and it doesn’t appear he will be losing that spot anytime soon.
Going into Week 10, the Raiders are going to need Hayward to be at the top of his game as he will likely follow Tyreek Hill. If Hayward can continue to play at this level, he will give the Raiders a great chance of upsetting the Chiefs on Sunday Night Football.
