Silver Minings: Casey Hayward is making a huge impact

Casey Hayward was on the free-agent market this offseason for nearly two months after getting cut by the Los Angeles Chargers.

He was finally signed by the Las Vegas Raiders in early May, shortly after the NFL draft was completed. They figured they needed a veteran presence at the position and Hayward made sense because he was with new Las Vegas defensive coordinator Gus Bradley with the Chargers for the past four years.

Hayward was considered a nice depth piece for the Raiders. He has, however, become so much more. According to Pro Football Focus, Hayward leads all NFL cornerbacks in snaps in coverage without allowing a touchdown through the first six weeks of the season.

That’s lock-down cornerback production. Hayward, 32, is playing like it is the prime of his career in his 10th NFL season. What a great, bargain free-agent pickup he has been.

In other Raiders’ links:

• Week 6 recap: The Athletic has a breakdown of the big win over the Broncos on Sunday.
• Carr is No. 2: Raiders’ quarterback Derek Carr has started 65 straight games. It’s the second longest streak among quarterbacks, behind Tom Brady at 82.
• Ball bouncing right way: The Raiders have fumbled eight times in six games. They have recovered the ball all eight times.
• Special bond: The Raiders’ website looks at the relationship between interim head coach Rich Bisaccia and star defensive end Maxx Crosby.