On the same day the Raiders officially added free-agent cornerback Casey Hayward, they cut ties with one of their defensive back free-agent additions from last season. They are releasing safety Jeff Heath according to Tom Pellissero.
The #Raiders are releasing safety Jeff Heath on Wednesday, per source. He was the AFC Defensive Player of the Week in Week 10 last season. Now, set to be a free agent.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) May 4, 2021
It was just a few days ago Mike Mayock said Jeff Heath was the team’s starting safety.
“Jeff Heath, at this point, is our post safety,” said Mayock in his press conference following day two of the draft. “But [Trevon] Moehrig is a guy that we think can step in and compete at post safety.”
Moehrig was long considered the top target at free safety for the Raiders in this draft. They ended up landing him at 43 overall in the second round after trading up from 48 overall.
Moehrig was instantly considered the favorite to be the team’s starting free safety, but it sounded at least like Heath would see a similar role to the one he had last season as the next man up.
He led the team with three interceptions, with one of those on Patrick Mahomes to secure the Raiders’ big week five win at Arrowhead. The other two came in a blowout win over the Broncos in Week 10, earning him Defensive Player of the Week.
