JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Replacing former Jaguars nickel cornerback Aaron Colvin became a priority when the talented defensive back bolted for Houston during free agency. Instead of focusing on a replacement with a long history of nickel coverage snaps to his name, the Jaguars decided to target former first-round pick D.J. Hayden.
Following an injury-riddled four-year stint with the Oakland Raiders, Hayden, 27, spent last season with the Detroit Lions where he was rarely asked to cover slot receivers. Still, the Jaguars were able to project him as a fit for the middle of their secondary. The 5-foot-11, 190-pound cornerback signed a three-year, $19 million deal in March.
Hayden has received plenty of reps in the nickel package during the Jaguars' organized team activity workouts. While he is one of the most experienced cornerbacks in the Jaguars' secondary, he is still getting acclimated to a new defense and new teammates, which has led to some growing pains.
Despite the early bumps along the way, Jaguars' secondary coach Perry Fewell has been impressed by Hayden's work during OTAs.
“He has really looked well," Fewell said on Thursday. "Initially, it was a rough start because he did not know the defense, but he grew every day, especially in our Phase 2 sessions. He has really grown in our OTAs sessions."
Defensive coordinator Todd Wash has also liked what he has seen from Hayden. The team has watched Hayden for a while and Wash feels like the cornerback's experiences in Oakland prepared him for the challenge that lies ahead in Jacksonville.
“He played a lot of nickel out in Oakland," Wash said last week.
"We evaluated him a year ago, and we liked him as a nickel. Then he goes up to Detroit, doesn’t play a lot of nickel, but we knew he had that skillset. We are really locking him in at that position. He is getting a lot of reps in our sub package at nickel. You see him growing within our package."
The Jaguars believe Hayden has the talent and instincts to play the nickel role.
Those attributes will be counted on heavily, as Hayden will be targeted fairly often with Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye deterring quarterbacks from passing toward the boundaries. Colvin was targeted 62 times last season while playing 68 percent of the team's defensive snaps.
Colvin did a good job of limiting the yardage he allowed on a per catch basis. Hayden will be asked to be just as stingy in his new role.
It's still pretty early in the process but the Jaguars are starting to see Hayden progressing at a comfortable pace.
"There are still some zone coverage responsibilities that he has not seen enough of, so he needs as many reps as he possibly can take so that it becomes rote memory for him," Fewell said. "We like what we have seen out of him so far. We really like his man coverage skills, too.”
Follow Mike Kaye on Twitter at @Mike_E_Kaye.