The Houston Texans continue to rebuild their cornerback group. On Wednesday, the team announced the addition of Vernon Hargreaves off of waivers. In a corresponding move, they waived cornerback Briean Boddy-Calhoun.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers released Hargreaves, 24, on Tuesday, two days after benching him for a lack of hustle, as head coach Bruce Arians alluded to. He allowed a big gain on Sunday after failing to tackle Arizona Cardinals wide-out Andy Isabella. He would not fight Arians' statements.
“If that's what coach saw, that's what he saw,” Hargreaves said on Sunday, via NFL.com. “There's no arguing it. I need to hustle, point-blank, end of discussion. And I'll get better. I'm sure I'll talk with him this week and we'll get things straightened out, and we'll see where to go from here.”
A first-round selection out of Florida in 2016, Hargreaves entered the 2019 season as Tampa Bay's No. 1 cornerback. They accepted his $9 million fifth-year option in the offseason, reaffirming their belief in his abilities. However, he did not perform as they envisioned.
On the year, Hargreaves has allowed 578 yards and four touchdowns in coverage on a 69.1% completion rate, good for an allowed 108.6 passer rating. He has recorded four pass deflections and an interception on the season. In 2018, he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury, limiting his third-year to one game.
Hargreaves joins a rebuilt cornerback group in Houston. He will share a locker room with other former first-round selections that did not stick with their team through 2019 in Bradley Roby and Gareon Conley.
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