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Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Vernon Hargreaves on road to redemption

By Cory Kinnan

CHICAGO, IL - APRIL 28: Vernon Hargreaves III of Florida holds up a jersey after being picked #11 overall by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University on April 28, 2016 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jon Durr/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL - APRIL 28: Vernon Hargreaves III of Florida holds up a jersey after being picked #11 overall by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University on April 28, 2016 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jon Durr/Getty Images) /
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TAMPA, FL – DECEMBER 30: Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Vernon Hargreaves, III dances during warmups before of the game against the Atlanta Falcons at Raymond James Stadium on December 30, 2018 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Will Vragovic/Getty Images)
TAMPA, FL – DECEMBER 30: Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Vernon Hargreaves, III dances during warmups before of the game against the Atlanta Falcons at Raymond James Stadium on December 30, 2018 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Will Vragovic/Getty Images) /

Hargreaves is off to a hot start to camp

Now training camp is here, and Hargreaves has been hungry to prove that he belongs. While his first day did not go as smoothly as he would have liked, which included kicking a ball into the stands after giving up a big play, he has recorded an interception in each of the last three practices. Yesterday’s interception included an acrobatic play on the ball that ended the offensive momentum.

Hargreaves is not ready to surrender a roster spot without a fight, and the same will go for his starting spot. As Sean Murphy-Bunting and Jamel Dean were brought in through the draft to compete with him, Hargreaves, also the most experienced player in the cornerback room, has shown the young guys that it is his job until further notice.

Right before day two of the draft, Arians told the media that he is hoping to get bigger outside the numbers at cornerback in order to compete and bully the likes of Julio Jones and Mike Thomas. While Dean, Murphy-Bunting, and Carlton Davis fit that bill much better than Hargreaves, the Florida product has the versatility to stay on the field.

While Hargreaves is not the ideal prototype of the cornerbacks that Bowles and Arians are looking for and have brought in, his status as the most experienced cornerback could serve the younger guys well. Should Hargreaves develop into a leader, he could become a valuable locker room presence in Tampa Bay and for the rookies and second year players behind him.

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