He won’t say it, but the Houston Texans’ victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday had a hint of retribution for cornerback Vernon Hargreaves.
A Tampa native, the Bucs made Hargreaves a first-round pick (No. 11) out of the University of Florida in 2016. Three years later, on Nov. 12, they benched him — citing a lack of “hustle” — and then released him. The Texans picked him up off waivers.
The 24-year-old now-Houston resident was glad to pick up the win over his former team. He finished the game tallying three combined tackles and a tackle for loss.
“It feels great,” Hargreaves told reporters after the win. “It feels great. It just feels better because I know those guys. I mean, I came into the league with those guys — most of those guys — and it feels good to compete against them and get that win.”
Hargreaves noted that he “started slow,” however, he made a game-defining play for the Texans late in the fourth quarter.
With 4:22 left to play, the Buccaneers were rolling and in Texans territory. At Houston’s 38 yard line, they stood at third-and-1. Bruce Arians’ offense dialed up a rush to running back Ronald Jones.
Hargreaves was having none of it.
The former Bucs cornerback made the stop, resulting in a two-yard loss for Tampa Bay. They failed to convert on fourth down, which would mark the last time the Buccaneers found themselves getting into Texans territory.
“I needed to make a play today,” Hargreaves said.
Hargreaves certainly made a play. The Texans would go on to win the game, in turn giving them the AFC South Championship for the fourth time in five years. For the first time in his four-year career, Hargreaves is going to the playoffs.
“We got more to do,” Hargreaves concluded. “Hopefully we can get this rolling into the playoffs.”