5 Cornerbacks the Cowboys Must Sign to Replace Trevon Diggs

2. Casey Hayward

Casey Hayward is obviously past his prime at this point, but at 34 years old it’s also not like he’s completely washed up either.

Hayward is a two-time Pro Bowler, dating back to when he led the NFL in interceptions with 7 in 2016 and recorded a combined 42 pass breakups between the 2016 and 2017 seasons. Admittedly, 2016 is a lot longer ago than most of us like to admit at this point though.

He showed some signs of decline in 2022 even before his season-ending shoulder injury, but you also have to account for the fact that he was surrounded by a pretty poor Atlanta Falcons secondary.

Even when it often seems like a cornerback is on an island, having a solid defense around you really does matter.

And it's not like Hayward was awful, either. He only allowed 7.3 yards per target and a passer rating of 80.7 across the 31 times he was targeted, and for context that passer rating would have ranked just 29th among all qualifying quarterbacks in 2022 — between Matt Ryan and Carson Wentz.

This one does come with a big caveat though. The Falcons released Hayward with a failed physical designation back in April, and nobody brought Hayward in for training camp. He may well not be healthy enough to suit up, but the Cowboys should be calling to see if he is.