Former Vikings Safety Hits Free Agency
Josh Frey
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On Tuesday afternoon, the Denver Broncos released former Vikings safety Anthony Harris. The veteran defensive back played three games in Denver this year, appearing solely on the special teams. 2022 is the 31-year-old’s eighth season in the NFL, and he appears to be on the search for his fourth team now.
Harris played his college ball at Virginia before going undrafted in the 2015 NFL Draft. He got his NFL career started by signing with the Vikings as an undrafted free agent, and he appeared in four games during his rookie season, including a pair of starts. Overall, he finished that season with 15 tackles and a pair of pass defenses.
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Over the following seasons from 2016-2018, Harris gradually saw his role grow in the Vikings defense, and he started a career-high nine games during the 2018 season. He proved to be a playmaker at free safety alongside Harrison Smith, intercepting three passes and recording six pass defenses.
2019 was a banner year for the defensive back, and Harris proved to be a big reason why the Vikings were able to make the playoffs that year. He started all 14 games that he played in and recorded a league-leading six interceptions, including a pick-six.
However, after this point was when Harris began seeing a drop to his play. During 2020, he didn’t intercept a single pass, and his defenses fell from 11 all the way to three. He also recorded 104 tackles, which is a huge number for a free safety, indicating that he was unable to make plays on the ball like he had earlier in his career.
The drop off in performance translated to a Vikings pass defense that ranked fourth worst in terms of points allowed. The Vikings went 7-9, and Harris left the team in free agency, signing a 1-year/$5 million contract with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Harris remained a starter in Philadelphia, but it was clear that the 30-year-old safety was not the same player that he was with the Vikings. He did record his first interception since 2019 during that 2021 season, but after being cut by the Eagles during training camp, he ended up on their practice squad leading up to Week 1.
Then, just four days after being signed to the practice squad, the Eagles released him, and that’s how he landed on the Denver Broncos practice squad. Following Week 1, Harris signed with the Broncos, and he proceeded to appear in Weeks 5,6, and 10 for Denver.
Now, the veteran safety is back on the open market, potentially becoming a depth piece for a team looking to make a playoff run. We shall see where he ends up over the final five weeks of the season.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho with a bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing. He also earned minors in History, Human Biology, and Journalism. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys marathon training, playing video games, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. For more of his opinions, check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.