D.J. Hayden Enters Make-or-Break Year as Key Player on Raiders Defense

The Oakland Raiders undoubtedly improved the talent of the roster this offseason, but they didn’t address the cornerback position or bring in a top pass-rusher. After finishing last in the NFL in points allowed last season, the Raiders focused on rebuilding the front seven.  

That means the No. 1 cornerback on the roster is 2013 first-round draft pick D.J. Hayden and the top pass-rusher is 2014 first-round pick Khalil Mack. That should be a good thing, but Hayden has yet to develop into a shutdown cornerback.

Hayden enters a make-or-break year as a key player on a defense hoping to improve significantly in 2015. It’s reasonable to think that a flop by Hayden could mean a flop by the defense and a flop by the defense could mean a flop for the entire team.

If there were one player other than Mack that can take Oakland’s defense to the next level, it’s Hayden. He’s still talented despite having missed so much time with various injuries, but the Raiders didn’t bring in veteran safety nets this offseason as they have for the last two years.

Hayden played 10 games in 2014, but in his final five games, he was targeted 30 times and allowed 22 receptions for 298 yards and three touchdowns with two passes defensed and no interceptions. It’s hard to say he really finished strong in 2014, but the source was probably referring to his development rather than his performance.

General manager Reggie McKenzie said in February that he’d add depth at the position, but that it was time for young players to step up, per Scott Bair of CSN Bay Area:

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We like what our young corners have done…Veterans like (Tarell Brown and Carlos Rogers) are on the team to help bring those young guys along. I think they did that...I think it’s their turn…I think the young guys are ready…They’re at a point now where they understand how to approach the game. I need guys that can play.

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McKenzie said he’d like to make a few additions to the cornerback spot, but when he didn’t make a run at a veteran cornerback in free agency and didn’t draft one until the seventh round, it was hardly a surprise. The Raiders had so many holes to fill, McKenzie had to choose a place to cut corners and the cornerback position was his choice, which actually makes some sense.

Hayden and TJ Carrie, the two most likely starters for the Raiders at cornerback, are still young talents. New head coach Jack Del Rio seemed impressed after the team’s first organized team activity, via the team’s official website.

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You see his feet and he’s [Hayden] got really good feet. He’s super quick. Coming in, I think thus far we, as a staff, have talked about how this group has been eager and working hard. That’s good. It’s a good place to start. Now it’s a matter of sustaining that kind of effort. It’s a matter of building the mentality that we want and things like that. I like the way DJ has approached his work thus far.

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The development of Hayden will be crucial for the performance of the defense, but unlike many players going into their third year, there’s still a lot we don’t know about him because he has missed 14 of 32 career games. We’d have a lot better idea of the player Hayden can be had he been able to stay healthy.

Either the Raiders really believe in Hayden, Carrie, Neiko Thorpe and Keith McGill, or the Raiders are taking a huge risk in 2015. Any injury or lack of development from any of the young cornerbacks could leave the Raiders vulnerable in the passing game.

Last season, the Raiders were near average in passing yards per game allowed, completion percentage allowed and yards per attempt allowed with two veterans, who remain unsigned, splitting snaps with Hayden and Carrie. Where they weren’t very good was limiting touchdowns and forcing turnovers, but that could be where consistency and coaching makes a big difference.

Stat	Sacks	Sack %	Pass Yards Per Game	Yards/Pass Attempt	TD %	INT %
Value	22	3.9%	238.1	7.4	5.4%	1.5%
NFL Rank	30	30	17	19	28	27
NFL Average	37.9	6.3%	236.	7.2	4.5%	2.5%

The Raiders must find ways to improve the pass rush in order to help Hayden and the other defensive backs. Last season, the Raiders finished 30th in the league in sacks and sack percentage. Mack’s improvement going into Year 2 will help, as will some of the additions in free agency, but there isn’t a single player on the roster who is going to vault the Raiders from near the bottom of the league to the top in sacks.

At best, the Raiders will collectively improve enough to be an average team rushing the quarterback. That means Hayden, in particular, must develop into the player the Raiders hoped he’d be when they were moments away from selecting him No. 3 overall.

“I don’t think of it as more [pressure],” Hayden said, via the team’s official website. “I just think of it as… if I wasn’t hurt last year I’d probably already be in this position. I’m in this position now and I’m ready for it.”