Should the New York Giants have claimed Vernon Hargreaves off waivers?

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers seem to have a more disciplined approach to the game of football than the New York Giants, and their releasing of a former first-round pick, Vernon Hargreaves, tells the story.

Hargreaves, who was released after failing to hustle on a specific play, hit waivers on Monday morning but has yet to be claimed. The Giants, on the other hand, have seen multiple players lack effort, one of whom has been DeAndre Baker on several occasions.

The New York Giants continue to make simple mistakes:

The Giants aren’t going to cut the first-round pick from 2019, but benching him and teaching him a valuable lesson would have done the trick. However, the Giants aren’t a disciplined team, and making examples of players doesn’t seem to be head coach Pat Shurmur’s preferred way of doing things.

In a locker room of grown men, Shurmur must have the confidence to do what’s necessary if he’s keen on keeping his job for the long-haul. That brings us to our question — should Big Blue have taken a flier on Vernon Hargreaves?

My answer, no. Aside from Hargreaves undoubtedly wanting to stay far away from New York, considering they’re 2-8 on the season, the Giants couldn’t trust him to remain active for the remainder of the season. Tack on his $9 million cap hit this season, and he becomes an afterthought.

While Hargreaves was a talented corner in college, being drafted one slot after the infamous Eli Apple, who has become a starter for the New Orleans Saints, he’s not in a position of leverage. His quality has dropped off significantly at the NFL level, and taking his talents to a worse team won’t motivate him to reach his potential.

Alternatively, if he were to land on a competitive team, that might give him the incentive to fight for a future contract. Overall, the Giants didn’t need his overpriced services at this point. Hargreaves was claimed by the Houston Texans.