Vernon

Hargreaves III

Hargreaves started 2021 with the Texans before being cut in November and joining the Bengals for the remainder of the season. Per PFF, Hargreaves allowed 20 receptions for 224 yards on 30 targets while receiving a coverage grade of 51.9. A former first-round pick by the Buccaneers in 2016, Hargreaves can provide positional depth but doesn’t offer much else.

Hargreaves started all 16 games for Houston in 2020 after falling out of favor with the Bucs, who took him in the first round of the 2016 draft. He recorded one interception in 2020. Pro Football Focus graded Hargreaves as the league’s 80th best cover corner last season.

Hargreaves’ mid-season change of scenery didn’t help matters as he joined the Texans in Week 12 and was promptly gassed for 34/356/3 across eight appearances to close the year. At least Bill O’Brien opted to bring the 24-year-old back for cheap relative to his avoided $9.6 million fifth-year option.

Hargreaves was cut to avoid a $9.6 million fifth-year option Houston was never going to pick up. He could be brought back at a lower salary after posting 21 tackles and two PBUs in six games with the Texans last year. Wherever Hargreaves ends up, he’ll be a post-hype flyer.

Hargreaves was claimed by Bill O’Brien last November after he was cut by the Bucs for not being on the same page with the Tampa Bay coaching staff. The 2016 No. 11 overall pick is likely never going to pan out as a top-end starter, but he will be a 25-year-old flier for a team desperate for cornerback help this offseason. Releasing Hargreaves saves Houston just under $10 million against the cap.

It will be his Houston debut after he was claimed off waivers from Tampa Bay last week. Hargreaves has a first-round pedigree but has done absolutely nothing with it to date. The Texans are absolutely desperate for secondary play right now, although it would be a stretch to say Hargreaves is an answer to those issues. Houston needs T.Y. Hilton (questionable) to sit one more game.

Hargreaves has only been in Houston for two days after getting claimed off waivers. He’s still learning the playbook, but the Texans may work him into some sub-packages. Hargreaves’s status will likely come down to whether Bradley Roby (questionable, hamstring) returns this week.

On the surface, Bill O’Brien likely thinks he’s found a gem in a 24-year-old with a first-round pedigree. Reality is Hargreaves was torched for 41/591/2 and 10.5 yards per target before getting benched in Week 10 and had made just 10 appearances coming into the year as the No. 11 overall pick in ’16. Hargreaves joins Johnathan Joseph, Bradley Roby, Gareon Conley, and Lonnie Johnson among the Texans’ struggling secondary as the front office continues throwing mud against the wall in hopes it sticks. Houston was the only team to put in a waiver claim on Hargreaves.

Hargreaves’ third quarter benching against the Cardinals was the last straw for the organization after he’d proven to be a massive bust as the No. 11 overall pick in the 2016 draft. Hargreaves had appeared in just 10 games coming into the season and, although he’s been on the field this year, has been dog-walked for 41/591/2 and 10.5 yards per target as PFF’s No. 112 corner among 116 qualifiers at his position in ’19. The Dolphins are a likely candidate to claim him off waivers given their willingness to take chances on first-round pedigrees in a lost season.

Arians didn’t think Hargreaves showed enough effort on a third-quarter slant pattern that Andy Isabella absorbed for a 55-yard gain. Hargreaves didn’t argue with Arians’ assessment, taking full responsibility for his slip-up. “I need to hustle, point-blank, end of discussion,” offered the 2016 first-rounder. “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.” Hargreaves sat out for a stretch but eventually returned following a knee injury to nickel corner M.J. Stewart.