It took a little while for Shelby Harris to find his footing in the NFL, but he seems to have discovered a home in Denver.
Harris was a 2014 seventh-round pick in Oakland, but played in only eight games in his first two seasons while jumping on and off the roster. He was waived six times overall before landing with the Broncos on future contract in January 2017.
In Denver, Harris followed his 5.5 sacks in 2017 with a career-best 39 tackles a season ago, and the Broncos rewarded him with a second-round restricted free agent contract tender, which raised his salary from $705,000 to $3.095 million (a 227-percent raise).
Now that Harris has showed he can belong on an NFL field, step two for the defensive tackle is earning a long-term contract.
“That’s every man’s dream,” Harris said. “I would love a multi-year deal here, but the way that works, you have to focus on this year, go out and play.”
What works in Harris' favor is the fact that he is due for more playing time this year. He played 390 of 1,077 snaps in 2018, but starting nose tackle Domata Peko (522 snaps) was not re-signed. Harris worked with the first-team defense during Monday’s OTA.
In a reserve role, Harris posted numbers that indicate he could perform well as a starter. Per The Denver Post, he had 1.5 sacks and 10.5 disruptions (pressures/knockdowns/sacks), fourth-most on the Broncos. Against the run, he had 12.5 “stuffs” (gain of three or fewer yards), fifth-most.
Under new coach Vic Fangio, that defensive versatility should be utilized even more.
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