Shelby Harris Reveals How Being in a Contract Year Again has Affected his Mindset
At the conclusion of the 2019 season, few expected defensive lineman Shelby Harris to return to the Denver Broncos. After a career year in which he started 16 games, logging 49 tackles (28 solo), six sacks, eight tackles for loss, one forced fumble, and nine deflected passes, he expected a prized contract on the free-agent market.
Although the legitimacy for Harris to earn a raise was valid, it was still a risk to test free agency. But when you lead all NFL defensive linemen in pass deflections and get after the quarterback from the inside, it’d be difficult to not take the plunge and test free agency.
Last January, Harris signed with Rosenhaus Sports Representation to assist him with reeling in a big payday. But the market wasn’t what Harris expected it would be.
An abundance of defensive linemen over-saturated the market with players like D.J. Reader, Javon Hargrave, Arik Armstead, Michael Pierce, and Michael Brockers all garnering multi-year deals while Chris Jones and Leonard Williams received lucrative franchise-tag designations. Jones would later sign a massive multi-year extension with Kansas City.
After not receiving the contract that he felt he deserved, Harris left agent Drew Rosenhaus to find the best fit for him and his family. To everyone’s surprise, it turned out to be the Broncos.
Harris and the Broncos agreed on a one-year, $3.25 million deal with $2.5 million guaranteed, reuniting him with teammates in Denver. He returned to the locker room as a sixth-year veteran, and fan-favorite.
While Harris found success in a city that he loves and loves him back, he still has a lot to prove in a contract year as a 29-year-old player.
“Honestly, for me, it’s the same as every other year,” Harris said on Thursday following Day 6 of training camp. “Every year, I have to continue to prove myself and prove that I’m a legit, quality starter in this league and that I deserve the respect in this league. I have no problem with that. I have no problem going in and working my tail off and really letting my play do the talking.”
It took head coach Vic Fangio and D-line coach Bill Kollar time to recognize Harris wasn’t a nose tackle, which is where he started out last season for the first four games. After Fangio kicked Harris back to his natural defensive end slot and put Mike Purcell at nose tackle, Harris found his groove and the production followed.
Harris’ game centers on plugging gaps and penetrating the backfield more so than being a dominant run defender. He entered the NFL as a seventh-round pick of the Oakland Raiders in 2014. Harris only played in eight games for the Silver and Black, logging 14 tackles and one sack.
In 2017, Harris was signed by the Broncos as a futures pickup where he’s gone on to appear in all 48 games in three seasons. In Denver, Harris has compiled 122 tackles, 13 sacks, one forced fumble, one interception, 16 passes defended and 11 run-stuffs. He finished second on the team (behind only Von Miller) in sacks in 2017 with 5.5.
The 6-foot-3, 300-pounder has been reunited with D-line teammates Purcell, Dre’Mont Jones, and DeMarcus Walker but he'll now have the opportunity to play with five-time Pro Bowler Jurrell Casey, the latter of whom was acquired via trade with Tennesse earlier this year.
"Obviously with Jurrell—I can say he really brought some real veteran leadership,” Harris said Thursday. “He has a lot of tips and drills that really help out with the whole D-line. Just bringing that whole good aura to the D-line is going to be beneficial during the season.”
There’s no doubt the defensive line unit should be re-invigorated with the return of Harris and the addition of Casey. All players in Fangio's defense will be responsible for their assignments and to each other.
That makes versatility significantly more valuable for defensive linemen. When players get injured, others must rotate and step up to fill the void.
“For us, defense wise, we should be the best defense in the league, no question,” Harris declared when asked about his goals for the season. "I feel like we have the players and the pieces to really go out there and dominate every game. Goal-wise, I would say individually, is to be the best player I can. You can’t set certain goals numbers-wise because all I care about is winning. If we win and everyone does their job, the numbers will be there. My individual goals are the same as the team goals—be the best defense possible and go out there and dominate.”
Some people suggest that Harris came crawling back to the Broncos because he couldn’t fetch the lofty contract that he demanded. But in my view, Harris returned to the team that resurrected his NFL career and a city that became home.
One thing’s for sure, the guy is a beloved team player. And he's already proven he can produce at a high level in this defense in a contract year.
Follow Luke on Twitter @LukePattersonLP and @MileHighHuddle.
