NFL free agency is only 45 days away and the new front office for the Raiders needs to decide quickly how they feel about a few pending free agents.
The biggest of which is cornerback Casey Hayward Jr., who the Raiders signed after the 2021 NFL Draft. He was fantastic for the Raiders this season, starting every game. But will he want to return to the team this offseason if Gus Bradley isn’t around?
In a recent article by Brad Spielberger of Pro Football Focus, he named the one free agent that every team can’t afford to lose this offseason. For the Raiders, that was none other than Heyward. Here is what the site had to say about the veteran cornerback:
“Hayward had a strong bounceback season in his reunion with former Chargers head coach and 2021 Raiders defensive coordinator Gus Bradley, earning a 75.0 coverage grade on almost 1,110 total snaps. Hayward excels in the single-high safety, Cover-3 defense that Bradley employs, which will still be run heavily in certain buildings across the league.
Perhaps the new Raiders’ general manager and head coach will consider keeping a similar defensive system in place going forward, as the players on the roster seemed to fit it well, as the coverage unit went from the 29th-ranked group in 2020 to 15th in 2021.”
At this stage of his career, Hayward might just follow Bradley wherever he lands. He knows his scheme and is a perfect fit in his defense. But will the Raiders want to ensure that he doesn’t leave and give him one last big payday?
That remains to be seen, but if the Raiders can’t retain him, it would be a massive loss for the defense going into 2022. Look for the Raiders to do everything possible to bring back their top defensive back from last season.