Vernon Hargreaves cut by Bucs after being benched for lack of hustle

Vernon Hargreaves was benched by Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians for a lack of effort during Sunday’s win over the Arizona Cardinals, and apparently that was the final straw for the former first-round pick.

Hargreaves has been cut by the Buccaneers, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports.

Buccaneers released former first-round pick Vernon Hargreaves, per source.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 12, 2019

Hargreaves, who was selected with the No. 11 overall pick by the Bucs in the 2016 NFL Draft, played just 46 of 70 defensive snaps on Sunday after being benched in the third quarter. He made a poor tackling effort on a play that resulted in Cardinals wide receiver Andy Isabella gaining 55 yards on a slant route, and Arians told reporters after the game that Hargreaves “didn’t look like he was hustling.” Hargreaves later held himself accountable.

“If that’s what Coach saw, that’s what he saw,” the cornerback said, per Shalise Manza Young of Yahoo Sports. “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.”

Obviously, things did not get straightened out. Hargreaves had started all nine games this season, but perhaps not putting forth a full effort had become a theme for him. With the Bucs now 3-6 and trying desperately to turn their season around, Arians felt the former Florida star no longer deserved a spot on the roster.