Getty NFL free agent CB Vernon Hargreaves III.
The Las Vegas Raiders were as healthy as any team in the NFL heading into Week 1 but the injuries started to pile up once the game was played. The most significant injury the team suffered was to cornerback Anthony Averett, who is undergoing thumb surgery. The team placed him on Injured Reserve so he’ll be out for the next several weeks.
Averett was expected to be a key part of the secondary this season but the Raiders will have to wait for his return. In the meantime, the team needs to sure up their secondary. They already signed cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman to the practice squad and claimed cornerback Javelin Guidry off of waivers. Despite those two additions, the Raiders are looking at even more cornerbacks.
The team hosted former first-round pick Vernon Hargreaves for a workout, via Ari Meirov.
The #Raiders had veteran G Kelechi Osemele and CB Vernon Hargreaves in for a workout today.
Hargreaves could have a hard time actually getting signed by the Raiders with the team signing Robey-Coleman and Guidry. That said, he is on their radar and could be an option if the team feels like they need even more depth at cornerback.
Background on Hargreaves
Hargreaves had a lot of hype coming out of Florida in 2016. He was the No. 11 overall pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2016 NFL Draft and started 16 games as a rookie. Injuries derailed his career and the Buccaneers cut him before he even finished his rookie contract.
Hargreaves has become a bit of a journeyman in recent years. He spent a couple of seasons with the Houston Texans before joining the Cincinnati Bengals last season. At this point, Hargreaves won’t live up to his draft status but he’s started 58 games in his career. He’s not a huge playmaker as he only has four career interceptions but is an experienced option for the Raiders to stash on the practice squad if they want more depth.
Patrick Graham Praises Nate Hobbs
There were questions surrounding the Raiders’ secondary heading into this season but they may already have a shutdown cornerback on the roster. 2021 fifth-round pick Nate Hobbs was a revelation as the team’s slot cornerback last year and now the team is giving him more chances to play on the outside. He looked excellent in Week 1, earning an 83.8 Pro Football Focus grade. Defensive coordinator Patrick Graham is impressed with what he’s seen from Hobbs early on.
“Well, that’s gonna come up throughout the year in terms of we value defensive players who can play multiple spots just in terms of being able to move them around and see how we’re going to affect the offense,” Graham said Tuesday. “And one thing about Nate, he’s going to compete. You saw him at a few positions on Sunday, and he did really well. He competed on that last third down, that second to last third down, that was a pretty good play that third and three right there. Really proud of him right there. He was on their go-to-guy, and he made a play. So, real proud of him there, and he just knows that like everybody else were just trying to improve day to day.”