Casey Hayward has been a Charger for less than eight months.

It just feels longer.

On Sunday, the cornerback held a cell phone in a raucous winning locker room, not pressing it to his ear but rather holding it near his face. It was a video call, and on the other side was cornerback Jason Verrett. An animated Hayward spoke rapidly, his conversation mainly centered on how tough a matchup Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones was, reliving specific plays to that effect.

It was like Verrett was right there.


From Hayward, nothing less would be expected.

The Chargers possessed a close-knit group of defensive backs prior to Hayward’s March addition in free agency. His arrival seems only to have drawn them closer. Along with being a positive locker-room influence, he has given them constancy at a position that otherwise can claim anything but.

The franchise signed him to a three-year deal worth up to $15.3 million.

The deal continues to pay dividends.


Hayward, 27, spent his first four NFL seasons with the Packers. He made a quick impact with his new team, intercepting two passes in Week 2 against the Jaguars and a third the next week in Indianapolis. Not since Ryan McNeil in 2001 had a Charger intercepted three passes in the first three weeks of a season. No player reached the interception total until Week 14 in 2015.

Hayward has kept producing.

His role has grown has others around him have fallen to injury.

Verrett underwent reconstructive knee surgery last week for an anterior cruciate ligament tear. The Pro Bowler played multiple weeks on the partial tear before being shut down after Week 4. Cornerback Brandon Flowers has missed the past four games to a Week 3 concussion; he may return this Sunday.


On Saturday, the team waived Pierre Desir.

On Sunday, Craig Mager suffered a concussion early in the third quarter.

Those four players and Hayward were the cornerbacks the Chargers carried in their season opener. For about half the game Sunday, Hayward was the only one of them remaining. And still, with Steve Williams and undrafted rookie Trevor Williams the other cornerbacks, the defense held the NFL’s No. 1 scoring offense to three points over the game’s final 40 minutes, including scoreless in overtime of a 33-30 victory.

Hayward is just one testament as to why.


But he is an important one, and his presence extends off the field.

“It’s funny because you look at the different age groups we have in the (defensive back) room,” safety Dwight Lowery, 30, said. “Flowers (30) and I are the oldest. (Darrell) Stuckey is kind of an older guy as well (29). To me, Casey has been in the league long enough to where he’s like a bridge between the young guys and the older guys. It’s cool to see that dynamic.

“It was a big pickup to bring someone in like Casey, not just obviously from a football standpoint from a chemistry standpoint as well.

On Sunday, Hayward spent much of the afternoon in man coverage versus Jones, who he called “probably the best receiver I’ve faced.”


Jones caught nine passes on 15 targets, good for 174 yards. It would’ve been more if not for such plays as the second one from scrimmage in overtime. Jones scaled up for a 28-yard ball near the home sideline. Hayward pushed him out of bounds before he could tap both feet in play and secure the catch.

Atlanta would’ve had first-and-10 at the Chargers’ 40-yard line.

Instead, the incompletion kept the Falcons well out of field-goal range. They ended up turning over the ball on downs in their own territory, helping set up the Chargers’ winning score.

Minutes later, Hayward shared the winning locker room with an injured teammate, Verrett in San Diego while recovering from surgery. Safety Jahleel Addae also spoke to him from afar. Hayward described there being a “brotherly” relationship between players, “and you kind of need that in the secondary.”


There is no guarantee how a free agent will fit into a new locker room.

As well as could be hoped, Hayward has.

“He’s been awesome,” quarterback Philip Rivers said. “He’s been out there every week. He’s got that feel to him, that knack. Great instincts. His personality is very engaging, too, just talking football with him. And then he’s a heck of a player on top of that. He’s been a great addition for us; he really has.

“And I thought going into Green Bay last year —he wore number 29 — ’29 is a good corner.’ He just knows how to play. He’s savvy. And then you get him here, and he’s been awesome for us. I thought he did a heck of a job last week battling that guy who is about as good as it gets.”


michael.gehlken@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @SDUTgehlken