Home sweet home
Discarded by their old teams, Conley and Hargreaves found their place as part of the Texans’ secondary
Gareon Conley stood at his stall inside the Texans’ locker room Thursday afternoon, just a few yards away from fellow cornerback Vernon Hargreaves. Both have a lot in common. First-round draft picks by their original teams, Conley and Hargreaves were devalued and ultimately discarded by their previous NFL employers.
Conley was acquired by the Texans from Oakland in October in exchange for a third-round draft pick. Hargreaves joined the Texans off waivers in November after nine starts for the Tampa Bay.
Now, both castoffs are instrumental to the Texans’ defense heading into their first career playoff game Saturday against Buffalo at NRG Stadium.
Conley is a starting outside corner. Hargreaves operates as the Texans’ primary nickel back.
“I ain’t been to the playoffs before, so it’s real exciting for sure,” said Conley, the 24th overall pick in 2017. “I like it here a lot, just how welcoming they are: the team, the players, the coaches, the organization in general. It’s just a new start, a fresh start.”
In Conley’s first game with the Texans, he had an impact against the Raiders.
Six days after being traded by Oakland, Conley was part of 27-24 comeback victory he sealed with a key pass deflection. In the fourth quarter on third-and-16, Conley ripped the football away from big wide receiver Tyrell Williams to prevent a potential long reception.
Conley replaced veteran corner Johnathan Joseph as a starter and has recorded 27 tackles and 11 passes defensed.
“He’s done a nice job for us.” Texans defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel said. “I feel good about him.”
Hargreaves, the 11th overall pick of the 2016 draft out of Florida, was cut by the Buccaneers after coach Bruce Arians questioned his effort and said he didn’t hustle on a long touchdown.
The Texans have had no issues with Hargreaves’ work ethic, praising his contributions as a sound tackler and solid inside coverage specialist.
He has 21 tackles, one for a loss and two passes defensed.
“It feels different because everybody tells you the playoffs, you get new life, new air, but you don’t really believe it until you start practicing for these games,” Hargreaves said. “It feels good, and it’s exciting. I don’t know what to expect because it’s my first one, but I’m ready to go. We know what’s on the line.”
Assimilating to a new team with a complex defense is a tall order, but Conley and Hargreaves have been up to the task.
“I think that they picked up the system,” Crennel said. “They understand what they need to do and where they need to be at particular times and they both have made plays in the game, breaking up passes and things like that. So, I think they’ve made good progress and hopefully that will continue.”
When asked if a change of scenery had benefited both defensive backs, Crennel replied: “Yeah, I think it did.”