Thanks to patience, familiarity, and positional need, veteran cornerback Casey Hayward now finds himself with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Sometimes all it takes for things to come together is a perfect storm, case in point, the newest member of the Raiders. Two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Casey Hayward was recently on the Upon Further Review podcast with Eddie Paskal. During his appearance, the former Los Angeles Charger spoke about a few topics. Chief among them, he elaborated on how signing with Las Vegas came about.
Essentially, he got a call from his former defensive coordinator and current Raiders defensive shot caller, Gus Bradley. Believing it was a friendly call, a coach checking in on his former player, instead, Bradley made the introduction to head coach Jon Gruden. From there, Hayward went through his physical and a brief meeting with Gruden. There, the head coach laid out some of his plans to the veteran. Then, just like that, he was now a member of the Raiders. Funny enough, Hayward’s agent had made it known to his client he could’ve signed much earlier in the offseason. Nevertheless, Hayward appears to be excited to be reuniting with Bradley, professing a close relationship amongst themselves saying, ‘me and Gus are real tight.‘
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The Raiders needed a corner…
After patiently playing the waiting game, Hayward got the call from the Raiders’ brain trust. The cornerback had played in Bradley’s system the past four years in Los Angeles. During that run, he was a back-to-back Pro Bowler from 2016-17. He totaled 11 interceptions and 42 passes defensed during that stretch. His familiarity with the scheme no doubt played a large part in his acquisition.
“I know the system like the back of my hand.”
Besides familiarity with the current scheme, Hayward believes he can come in and be both a contributor and a mentor for the young secondary. He reminisced on his time as a rookie with the Green Bay Packers where played alongside a Raiders legend, Charles Woodson. ‘He [Woodson] practiced every day, he didn’t take days off. That’s why he’s in the Hall of Fame.‘ If Hayward can provide this type of example for the young Raiders and regain his 2019 form, his addition could go down as a pivotal one.
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*Top Photo: Chris Graythen/Getty Images