Toward the end of Thursday’s Welcome to Free Agency press conference, Executive Vice President/General Manager Howie Roseman was asked about his approach during this roster-building period of time with the team having limited wiggle room within the $182.5 million salary cap. Could the Eagles be spenders? What would they look for as the first wave of headline-making signings came and went?
“We’re looking for guys that we think fit our scheme, that we think fit our culture, and we think have an opportunity to be here as we kind of build this thing back,” Roseman said. “If there’s an opportunity to improve our team, we’re going to look at that. We’re continuing to do that. I would say if the fit’s right, we’ll do it.”
Two days later, the Eagles found the right “fit” at the safety position, agreeing to terms with veteran Anthony Harris on a one-year contract. He has a chance to gain significant playing time, given that Rodney McLeod is rehabbing a torn anterior cruciate ligament suffered in last season’s December 13 victory over New Orleans and the other starter, Jalen Mills, signed with New England in free agency.
Harris is a baller, having started the last three seasons in Minnesota – the final nine games of the 2018 season, all 14 games he played in 2019 when Harris recorded six interceptions to tie for the league lead, and 16 games in the 2020 campaign. Harris is familiar with concepts that Eagles Defensive Coordinator Jonathan Gannon will employ – Gannon coached in Minnesota as a defensive quality control coach and assistant secondary coach from 2014-2017 and helped develop Harris – and he should be able to help translate the defensive scheme to the rest of the defense.
Undrafted in 2015 coming out of Virginia, where he was a teammate of McLeod’s in 2011 and has, in fact, followed a similar career path, Harris began his time in Minnesota on the practice squad before his promotion to the active roster in December of that season. Harris worked with Gannon after suffering a shoulder injury in college, a likely reason Harris wasn’t drafted. For much of that rookie season, Harris built up his body strength and dug into the scheme.
Harris’ intelligence helped him learn the defense as he fully embraced the team culture and his versatility impressed the coaching staff. Slowly but surely, Harris was earning the trust of the coaching staff, working with Gannon in his development.
The 2019 season was Harris’s breakout year. He was around the football all season with the six interceptions and adding 11 passes defensed. He recorded a then-career-best 60 total tackles and was a leader for a Vikings defense that allowed just 18.9 points per game, ranking fifth best in the league. Minnesota tied for fifth in the league with 49 quarterback sacks and ranked fourth in the league with 31 total takeaways. Harris and fellow safety Harrison Smith teamed up to become one of the best safety duos in the league.
