Shorthanded on the backend of their secondary, the Eagles are bringing back a familiar face. Philadelphia is set to sign veteran safety Anthony Harris, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter).
The move comes as little surprise, as Harris visited the Eagles yesterday (Twitter link via Mike Garafolo of NFL Network). The 31-year-old played in Philadelphia last season on a one-year deal, which marked his first campaign played outside of Minnesota. His time with the Vikings (which included a league-leading six interceptions in 2019), led to significant expectations.
Harris was a full-time starter in Philadelphia in 2021, and he recorded 72 tackles, one interception and three pass breakups. The acquisition of C.J. Gardner-Johnson from the Saints pointed to Harris being let go, however. The former UDFA was released at the end of August.
That led him to Denver midway through the season, but Harris only saw special teams action. He was unsurprisingly waived by the Broncos, and has remained a free agent since. The Eagles could once again offer him significant playing time on defense, with multiple injuries at safety leaving them thin at the position. Gardner-Johnson is currently sidelined with a lacerated kidney, and Reed Blankenship exited Sunday’s win over the Giants. Garafolo tweets that the latter will not be placed on IR, meaning he is facing a short-term absence.
Still, Harris will be a familiar face for the Eagles as they weigh their replacement options. Marcus Epps is likely to remain a starter, but Harris could compete for playing time with the likes of K’Von Wallace, Andre Chachere and Josiah Scott for snaps alongside him. His first action back with Philadelphia could come as soon as Week 15 against the Bears as the NFC leaders look to move closer to a division title and a first-round bye.
This makes total sense until the others come back.
What are u 11? When the other come back Harris gets cut lol
Are the Eagles using a different salary cap? One veteran signing after another. Smh
Suh and Joseph are each only $750k towards the cap and this one is likely similar – not a lot of money required for guys who are FA. The Eagles have historically done a good job of keeping some cap space – even with the in-season signings, they still have at least $5 milliin under the cap.
These vets who sign mid-season are usually not high dollar and the contracts aren’t guaranteed.