Charles Woodson, Casey Hayward and the Trend of Versatile Cornerbacks in Today’s NFL

Versatility could be Casey Hayward's greatest strength. Remember when the NFL was about taking your best 11 guys and putting them against the other team’s best 11 guys? Those days are over. Well, kind of. You still want your best 11 against their best 11, but those 11 change throughout the game much more often than they used to. Today’s NFL is all about matchups and sub packages. Of course, certain players are so good that they will never leave the field, but just because a guy doesn’t play all three downs doesn’t mean he’s an inferior player. It means his skills might be a better fit in specialized situations, perhaps as a pass rusher on obvious passing downs, a slot corner on third down or a run stuffer in short-yardage. Sub packages also depend on a coordinator’s scheme and gameplan. On defense, most coordinators these days want to try and create as much confusion for the offense as possible. Causing chaos is always good, too. The coordinator is likely asking himself how he c...