For the second straight week, the Philadelphia Eagles completely embarrassed themselves, this time at the…
Eagles sign standout safety Anthony Harris to one-year deal
The Eagles have made their first major splash of free agency this season, signing former Minnesota Vikings’ safety Anthony Harris to a one-year contract. Following the flurry of signings early on, Harris was the best defensive free agent available and was a stellar safety in Minnesota for six seasons. Anthony will be making $5 million during his one-year deal, using almost all of the Eagles’ current cap space.
Anthony is no stranger to this Eagles’ defense. New defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon worked with Harris while he was an assistant defensive backs coach with the Vikings from 2015-2017. Philly needs Harris’ help in the passing game following Jalen Mills’ departure to the New England Patriots.
During his several years with the Vikings, Harris was one of the NFL’s standout safeties, especially in recent memory. In 2019, PFF had Harris as their second-best safety trailing just Justin Simmons with a 90.5. Alongside that high rating, Harris had an NFL leading six interceptions, a career-high.
Although he dominated in 2019, his 2020 season failed to meet those same expectations. While his interceptions went from six to zero, Harris had over 104 tackles in 2020, nearly double that of the two years prior combined. The Vikings had shopped Anthony for a mid-round pick before letting him walk this offseason.
Adding Harris’ elite coverage over the top provides a much-needed boost to a secondary that showed some serious flaws last season. This signing also allows Rodney McLeod some extra time if needed to recover from his torn ACL. After making this big of a splash in the secondary in free agency, the Eagles will likely turn their eyes towards offense and the front seven during the upcoming 2021 NFL Draft.
Mandatory Credit: NFL.com
Related Posts
[…] to a different role here. The Eagles are slim on cap space after spending most of their space on standout safety Anthony Harris last […]
[…] is unlikely any more big signings are on the way for the Eagles. Last week they brought in safety Anthony Harris and signed quarterback Joe Flacco to a contract worth over $3.5 million on Tuesday. Tight end Zach […]
[…] the Eagles just made their big splash in free agency on safety Anthony Harris, they could look to bolster their secondary even more. During the second day of the 2021 NFL Draft, […]
[…] free agency was very minimal this offseason, signing just a few impact players like Anthony Harris and a backup QB in Joe Flacco. Their low cap space also led to the departures of Cre’Von LeBlanc, […]
[…] the Eagles made their big free agency splash on safety Anthony Harris, it looks like they could target the position once more in the upcoming 2021 NFL Draft. According […]
[…] is worth $4 million over just one season. $3.5 million of that contract is guaranteed. Following Anthony Harris’s signing a few days ago for $5 million, The Eagles are looking pretty tight on cap space. It seems like their remaining cap […]
[…] was a given. McLeod is returning from a season-ending ACL tear suffered last December, and Anthony Harris was signed in the offseason as an upgrade to the departing Jalen Mills. The only other guaranteed […]
[…] on top of an already weak group, the Eagles needed significant repairs. While they were able to sign Anthony Harris to pair alongside Rodney McLeod at safety, there is still a major hole at […]
[…] all cornerbacks. Philadelphia has bolstered the secondary nicely this offseason, signing top safety Anthony Harris back in March and forming a formidable CB duo in Steven Nelson and Darius Slay. With this move, it […]
[…] Harris signed a one-year deal to come back after performing much better in the latter half of the 2021 season, but with Rodney McLeod’s age and injury history, the Eagles have to prepare for the future of that position. Even though they used a fourth-round pick on K’Von Wallace in 2020, the Clemson product has not developed as quickly as many hoped, including a certain Danish doctor who saw “Clemson safety” and probably thought “the next Brian Dawkins.” […]