The Broncos have placed a second-round tender on restricted free agent defensive lineman Shelby Harris, according to Mike Klis of 9News.
Harris will now collect $3.095MM for the 2019 campaign. Theoretically, another team could sign Harris to an offer sheet, but they’d have to be willing to sacrifice a second-round pick. Additionally, Denver has the right to match any offer Harris may receive, so the tender almost certainly ties Harris to the Broncos’ roster for next season.
A seventh-round pick of the Raiders in 2014, Harris bounced around the league, spending time with the Jets and Cowboys before signing a futures deal with the Broncos in 2017. That low-risk move has paid off ten-fold for Denver, as Harris has appeared in all 32 possible games over the past two years, seeing action on more than 35% of the Broncos’ defensive snaps in each season.
Harris, 27, posted seven sacks, 16 quarterback hits, and 15 tackles for loss from 2017-18, and graded as the NFL’s No. 8 interior defender last year, per Pro Football Focus. His role could be set to expand in 2019, as the Broncos reportedly aren’t interested in re-signing veteran defensive tackle Domata Peko, who played 522 defensive snaps last season.