Cutting Shaquill Griffin was a mistake the Houston Texans will regret

The Houston Texans made a baffling move on Wednesday as they announced that they were cutting cornerback Shaquill Griffin from the team. They also announced his replacement, recently reacquired corner Desmond King II. Griffin, who was originally drafted by the Seattle Seahawks, had played a lot for the Texans in relief of other players and aside from three bad games to start the season, was a reliable and at times impressive member of the cornerback core.

His best game came in Week 10 against the Cincinnati Bengals, where he had a PFF score of 84.2, and was an absolute nightmare for Joe Burrow and company. He's been a valuable asset and it proved in his usage. Following Week 12, only one cornerback on the team, Steven Nelson, had more snaps this season than Griffin.

Not only was he the second most-used corner this year by the Texans, but he was also the third highest rated by PFF, with a score of 66.3, just behind Nelson (73.0) and Tavierre Thomas (72.2). Yet, he was released nonetheless in favor of King, who hasn't been as impressive this season from an on-field perspective.

The move came with a lot of backlash online, with many people pointing out the value that Griffin brought to the Texans, not just with his talent but the fact that he gives the Texans serious depth at the position. To go from Griffin to King may be fine, but King came back to Houston for a reason, and it may be likely that King doesn't produce as well as Griffin and if that ends up being the case, the Texans are going to be hurting for depth at corner, as it doesn't seem likely that Griffin remains a free agent for too long.

Hopefully King can return to form and become the corner he once was.

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