Cornerback Vernon Hargreaves will go down in Tampa Bay history as a first-round bust.
The Buccaneers got rid of their 2016 first-round draft pick on Tuesday, two days after Bruce Arians benched him during the game against the Cardinals for not hustling on a play.
The funny thing is, Hargreaves started out 2019 on fire. He had a pick-six in the opener against San Francisco. Then he made the game-saving play near the goal line in the closing seconds to beat Carolina. But after that, he did a poor job covering, well, just about every receiver from every team. Opponents knew this, and constantly threw in his direction, constantly drawing the ire of Bucs fans. He only had one other interception during his time in Tampa.
Hargreaves was just one problem in a disastrous secondary. This group is very young, and they’re not good. This move does not improve the pass defense. But Arians is sending a message here, first with the mid-game benching, and now the release.
Photo courtesy: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
