The Miami Dolphins have made a bit of a habit of claiming recently cut defensive backs off of the waiver wire — the team has seemingly placed claims on a corner every few weeks this season. So when the news broke that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had cut former 1st-round pick Vernon Hargreaves, the logical assumption was that the Dolphins would kick the tires on the 1st-round bust and explore if perhaps they had the ability to connect with Hargreaves and help him unlock his potential.
Hargreaves was indeed claimed off the waiver wire yesterday — just not by the Dolphins. ESPN’s Adam Schefter has reported that the only NFL franchise to file a waiver claim on Hargreaves was the Houston Texans.
Houston’s situation is a much different one than Miami’s — they’re a team in the midst of pushing for a deep postseason run. But the Texans, as Miami knows all too well, has exhausted a lot of their assets in trading for veteran players (such as OT Laremy Tunsil) — so a low-risk waiver claim does make sense for Houston as well.
For Miami? The team must like the chemistry and blend of talent they’ve got in house. Cornerback Nik Needham played the best game of his young NFL career this past weekend against the Indianapolis Colts — perhaps his transition from a shaky, unconfident player into the player who was arguably Miami’s best defender against the Colts played a part in not wanting to disrupt the cornerback rotation. Miami’s entire objective is to identify players capable of growing with this team as they transition from a rebuilding roster into a contender in the AFC.
For whatever reason, whether it be Needham or otherwise, Hargreaves didn’t fit the vision despite his low risk.
