Atlanta Falcons 2020 Season Preview: Charles Harris

Charles Harris underwhelmed in Miami but comes to the Atlanta Falcons with loads of potential after being a 2017 first-round pick.

The Miami Dolphins gave up on Charles Harris.

They lost all faith in their 2017 first-round draft pick after less than three underwhelming years, benching him at the end of last season and shipping him to Atlanta in May.

Forty-one games, 61 tackles, 3.5 sacks.

Who could blame them?

But who could blame the Falcons for taking a flyer on a guy once deemed talented enough to be selected 22nd overall?

It was a low-risk pickup for Atlanta, as it parted with only a 2021 seventh-rounder.

Now, Harris holds a second chance at NFL life, but success won’t come easy. The Falcons already declined his fifth-year option, so he has one year to prove himself.

HIS ROLE

Harris arrives as a rotational pass-rushing defensive end. He won’t start but will mix in with players like Allen Bailey, Steven Means and John Cominsky behind Dante Fowler and Takk McKinley. Atlanta drafted McKinley four spots after Miami took Harris.

Before the 2017 draft, Harris worked out for the Falcons and said he thought Dan Quinn was “great” and he liked the 4-3 defense they run.

It’s similar to the one the Dolphins utilized for the first two years of Harris’s career. Last season, new Miami head coach Brian Flores switched the team to a 3-4, where Harris moved between a defensive end and an outside linebacker, depending on the situation.

He struggled in both sets.

WHAT IT MEANS

The Falcons invested heavily in their pass rush this offseason, signing Fowler to replace Vic Beasley and picking versatile defensive tackle Marlon Davidson in the second round.

That doesn’t mean the unit that ranked second-worst in the league with only 28 sacks in 2019 is fixed, though.

If Harris is able to put his Miami woes behind him and showcase the skills that made him a first-round pick out of Missouri, Atlanta will have a role for him. He’ll have to earn it.

If not, the Falcons can give up on him with little damage done.

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