Casey

Hayward Jr.

Hayward inked a two-year, $11 million deal with Atlanta last offseason. He started six games to open the year before a shoulder injury ultimately ended his season. Hayward broke up three passes and notched one interception as a Falcon. After signing Mike Hughes and trading for Jeff Okudah, the Falcons didn’t have the need to hang on to Hayward for the final year of his contract. The move saves them $5 million against the cap and comes with a $2 million dead cap charge. At 33 years old, Hayward may be stuck signing one-year deals for the rest of his career, but he should be able to find a home once rosters are settled after the draft.

He’ll miss at least the next four weeks. Hayward had been a bit up-and-down over the first six weeks of the season, but was a solid complement to A.J. Terrell that the Falcons will have to call on depth to replace. Darren Hall, DeAundre Alford, and Mike Ford all saw snaps last week in Atlanta’s victory.

It’s the first signing of free agency for the Falcons. This will be Hayward’s 33-year-old season coming up, but he gives the Falcons a capable cover man to try and help shore up the secondary. Hayward is past his prime, but he’s reliable, having missed just two games since 2013, and graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 24 cover corner for Las Vegas last season.

The Raiders also got LB Cory Littleton, MLB Denzel Perryman, and DT Darius Philon back from the COVID list. Perryman remains questionable with an ankle issue. Hayward has started every game this year and the new COVID rules allowed him to return without an absence. He has five pass defenses and three TFLs on the season.

The Raiders also added LB Cory Littleton, LB Patrick Onwuasor, LB Denzel Perryman, DT Darius Philon and LB K.J. Wright to the list. Hayward has started all 15 games for the Raiders this year and plays nearly every snap on a weekly basis. Pro Football Focus grades him as an above-average cornerback in coverage. The potential loss of Hayward and multiple linebackers would put the Raiders in a horrible spot versus the Colts this week.

Hayward was an elite corner from 2016 to 2019 but was hampered by injuries last year and ultimately became a cap casualty this offseason. If he returns in full form, the signing will look like a steal in hindsight. Casey also gets to reunite with Raiders DC Gus Bradley, who was his coordinator for four years with the Chargers. With the rookies distributed via the draft, teams were likely able to assess their remaining needs and Vegas identified corner as one of their gaps. Pro Football Focus ranked Vegas as a bottom-five coverage unit last year and the Raiders spent far more draft capital on safety than cornerback. Even if Casey is past his prime, this signing should greatly boost the Vegas secondary.

The move clears $9.75 million in cap space. 31-year-old Hayward was one of the league’s best corners from 2016-19, but injuries took their toll in 2020, with back and groin issues liming him to 13 starts. He is at an age where corners can fall off a cliff. He still figures to draw excellent offers for 2021, though he might not net much guaranteed money for 2022. The Packers, who drafted Hayward in 2012, could be an early dot to connect.

Hayward missed Week 12 with a groin injury but will give it a go against Cam Newton. Expect Hayward to cover Jakobi Meyers and Damiere Byrd most often.

Neither will Melvin Ingram (knee) and Uchenna Nwosu (chest/shoulder). Hayward will also have his streak of 106 consecutive games played — the longest streak among active corners — come to an end. Some combination of Joey Bosa, Jerry Tillery and Emeke Egbule will try and resemble a pass rush against Josh Allen, who attempted 87 total passes in two games prior to Buffalo’s bye. Chris Harris remains questionable to man the slot.

Hayward was thrown at a whopping 16 times by Joe Burrow, allowing eight catches for 82 scoreless yards in his coverage, but Hayward batted a couple passes and racked up an absurd 12 solo tackles in the Bolts’ win. That’s a lofty amount for a cornerback. Now 31, Hayward remains one of the best corners in the sport.