All-Pro cornerback Casey Hayward was a guest on Thursday's episode of Chargers Weekly, the official podcast of the team.
Hayward, a two-time Pro Bowler, discussed the team's mindset through the first two weeks of training camp, lining up across wide receiver Keenan Allen on a daily basis, playing with Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram and training with Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey. More highlights are below:
Watching the younger players perform in Saturday's preseason game
"It's great, especially in our back end. In the secondary and the defense, to see some of these guys mature and see the way that they're able to play, especially after the days and days keep going, the more reps these guys get, you can see that they're getting a grasp of this defense and a grasp of how to be a pro."
Cornerbacks that have caught his eye through the first two weeks of camp
"I would probably say Mike Davis and Craig Mager so far … I feel like those guys have played really good in this camp so far. Craig's made a lot of plays. He's been playing with a lot of technique and Mike, he's playing with a lot of technique making a lot of plays as well. Those guys have been playing pretty well on the back end."
Playing against Philip Rivers in practice
"I've been here, this is going on my third year – and I'm not sure how he was before I was here but he's sharp. He's been so sharp this camp. He hasn't been missing. He's been throwing all dimes. There's been some plays where I've been getting the ball caught on me some – and like, I'm in great position and he throws the receiver open and it's been crazy."
On Derwin James
"He's one of those guys that (when) he puts on his pads you're like 'Hold on, is that a defensive end?' … He could do a lot. He can cover the tight ends, come in and cover the slot. As a rookie, the thing is just trying come in here and learn the playbook. And learn the playbook – once you learn the playbook, you'll be able to play faster. Once it's time to play against somebody else, I feel like he'll excel even more."
Listen to Thursday's entire episode and subscribe to Chargers Weekly on Apple Podcasts. A five-star rating/review is appreciated and will help spread the word to other fans this offseason. Chargers Weekly is also available on Stitcher, TuneIn or Google Play.
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