Raiders’ banged-up secondary getting lift from depth chart

With Casey Hayward, the Raiders’ most indispensable defensive back, in COVID-19 protocol, it could be another week of relying on a patchwork secondary on Sunday in Indianapolis against the Colts.

“That part’s difficult,” defensive coordinator Gus Bradley said of not knowing whether Hayward will test out of the protocol and be available against the Colts. “You game-plan with the idea that, what can we put in that anybody that’s available can go out there and execute at a high level, even the guys that missed the whole week of practice.”

As the Raiders have shown recently, that’s something they’ve been able to do.

In their win over the Denver Broncos, for instance, they were down safety Johnathan Abram and cornerback Brandon Facyson. Meanwhile, rookie slot cornerback Nate Hobbs was relegated primarily to special teams after coming back on game-day from COVID-19 protocols.

That meant digging deep into their depth chart and extensively using safety Dallin Leavitt and back-up cornerbacks Desmond Trufant and Keisean Nixon. Nevertheless, the Raiders mix-matched secondary put a clamp on the Broncos’ passing game, limiting Drew Lock to just 153 relatively painless yards.

“We’ve been solid the last couple weeks,” Trufant said. “We’ve just got to keep that going.”

They are bracing for a similar situation against the Colts. They might not know until game time who will be available.

“We’ve been through this before, so I would say just the next man up,” said rookie safety Tre’von Moehrig. “Coach always says practice like you’re gonna play. For everybody stepping in, practice like they’re going to play. So when that time comes, they’re going to be prepared.”

More and more, that’s becoming the norm, as multiple guys are stepping up and delivering. The Raiders planned for this possibility all the way back in the spring and have carried it through the regular season. They have practiced with the mindset that everyone from the active roster to the practice roster will get called upon.

“The philosophy here, and certainly with our defensive staff, is to be developmental coaches,” Bradley said. “I think you know this year, there’s going to be times when practice squad players are going to have to come up and play.”

Credit goes to general manager Mike Mayock, who made some shrewd draft choices in Hobbs and Moehrig, both of whom have been quality starters. But he also made nice pickups in October by poaching Facyson from the Chargers’ practice squad and signing Trufant, a steady veteran who has provided dependable play across his nine-year career.

Mayock also added safety Roderic Teamer last June. He has played well when called upon this season.

It has enabled the Raiders to adequately replace starting cornerback Trayvon Mullen, who has spent most of the season on the injured reserve list, and now Abram, who is out for the rest of the season with a shoulder injury.

It has also created a good bit of camaraderie among a secondary group for which playing time has been widely spread.

“We got a tight-knit group,” Trufant said. “We work hard every day, watch film. We always communicate. So whoever’s out there is ready to go, ready to compete and ready to get the job done.”

When the Raiders are in normal practice mode — a phase that has been disrupted by the recent spike in COVID-19 numbers — they structure it in a way that allows everyone to get significant work.

“It’s an opportunity to get enough reps for guys to be prepared for the game,” Bradley said. “But also that developmental part where not only the second-team guys, but the third team and practice squad guys get some reps.”

What it creates is a comfort level among the coaches that anyone they call on can be expected to play at a suitable level.

“We try to build a system where guys can come in, if there’s injuries that take place, that we can still execute and play with precision,” Bradley said.

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on Twitter.