The Houston Texans released veteran cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III on Wednesday.
Hargreaves started five of eight games for the Texans (1-7) this season and had 27 tackles and one interception.
The 26-year-old played 96 percent of the defensive snaps during Sunday’s 38-22 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
Hargreaves played parts of three seasons for the Texans after playing his first 3 1/2 seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Houston safety Justin Reid said the move serves notice that the back end needs to play better.
“In the secondary, we’re continuing to try and figure it out,” Reid said. “Vernon’s a good friend of mine, I hate to see him go. He’s going to have an opportunity to play somewhere because he’s a good player.
“We’re just trying to figure it out on the back end, find the best combination to eliminate those missed tackles, stop the big plays and find a way to play a tighter defense.”
Hargreaves has 285 tackles, four interceptions and two forced fumbles in 65 NFL games (57 starts). He was the 11th overall pick in the 2016 draft by the Buccaneers.
Houston filled the roster opening by promoting linebacker Hardy Nickerson from the practice squad. Nickerson played one college season at Illinois for Texans defensive coordinator Lovie Smith.
–Field Level Media