The Texans will become the second AFC South team this year to cut ties with Shaquill Griffin. Houston is waiving the veteran cornerback Wednesday, Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz tweets.
After the Jaguars released Griffin this offseason, he ended up in Houston. The Texans have used the former Seahawks draftee as a starter in six games, but the team had benched him for the past two. Although Jackson went straight to free agency following his Jacksonville release, all players cut after the trade deadline are subject to waivers.
Houston gave Griffin a one-year, $3.5M deal in May. Because the Texans used void years to lower Griffin’s cap hit, they will be on the hook for more than $2M in dead money as a result of this release. But the team is healthier at corner than it has been for most of the season, leaving Griffin without a clear role.
Derek Stingley Jr., Tavierre Thomas and Grayland Arnold had missed time due to injuries this season, and the team recently re-signed Desmond King to a practice squad deal. King worked as a gameday elevation in Week 12. The Texans used Griffin exclusively on special teams over the past two weeks, demoting the seventh-year veteran after he had logged a 95% defensive snap share in five straight games earlier this season. Griffin had entered the Texans’ starting lineup following a Stingley hamstring injury that moved the top-three draftee to IR in September. The team activated Stingley in Week 10.
Pro Football Focus measured the 28-year-old cover man as a mid-pack corner this season, slotting him 52nd at the position. He intercepted one pass and broke up four more in 10 Texans games. The Jaguars had given the former third-round pick a three-year, $40M contract during Urban Meyer’s year in charge. A back injury stalled Griffin’s Jacksonville run, ending his 2022 season after five games. The Trent Baalke-Doug Pederson regime moved on this offseason, saving $13M in the process.
A 78-game starter during his run in Seattle, Jacksonville and Houston, Griffin could certainly land elsewhere on waivers. It will be interesting to see if a team takes a flier on the 6-foot defender.
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