The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have placed cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III on injured reserve due to a shoulder injury, which has prematurely ended his 2018 season.
Source: The #Bucs are placing CB Vernon Hargreaves on Injured Reserve today.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 12, 2018
Bucs coach Dirk Koetter expressed his disappointment for his young defensive back's big injury setback and stresses that the rest of the team must step up.
” I feel horrible for Vern because he didn't do anything to deserve this, but that's NFL football right now,” Bucs said per Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. Every team is going to have (injuries) every week. It just means the next guy has to come up and be ready to go.”
Hargreaves sustained the shoulder injury while trying to break up a pass in the fourth quarter of the Bucs’ season-opening win over the New Orleans Saints. Hargreaves visited noted orthopedist Dr. James Andrews, who confirmed that his injury would require season-ending surgery.
Hargreaves is in his third season with the Bucs after being drafted No. 11 overall in 2016. He also suffered an injury-hit season last year as he played just nine games in large part due to a hamstring injury. Over his first three seasons in the NFL, Hargreaves has appeared in just 26 games, recording 125 tackles and one interception.
The Buccaneers will miss Hargreaves, who had the ability to play both in the slot or outside. His absence will be another blow to a Bucs secondary which is still missing starting cornerback Brent Grimes, who is recovering from a groin injury.
With Grimes still not quite ready to return, rookie cornerbacks Carlton Davis and M.J. Stewart are both expected to play a big role in their Week 2 matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles.
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