Eagles beat writers weigh in on the signing of safety Anthony Harris

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There really isn’t anything not to like about the Anthony Harris signing. The Eagles got one of the top two safeties on the free-agency market and got him at an affordable price, which was kind of critical given their salary-cap situation.

Harris is a typical Howie Roseman free-agent signing: a good player coming off a down season or an injury who is willing to sign a one-year deal with the hope of cashing in big next year after redeeming himself.

Two years ago, Harris was rated as the No. 2 safety in the league by Pro Football Focus. He had six interceptions for the Vikings. Last year, playing with a lesser cast around him, he was rated 38th, but still had 104 tackles and seven pass breakups.

The Vikings, who had finished fifth in points allowed in 2019, plummeted to 29th last year.

The Eagles opted for signing Harris rather than bringing back Jalen Mills. Mills is more versatile, but the 6-1, 202-pound Harris probably is a better fit for Jonathan Gannon’s defense, which will employ a lot more split-safety alignments than Jim Schwartz used.

Gannon and Harris have a history. Gannon was the Vikings’ assistant DBs coach in 2015-17, which were Harris’s first three years in the league. He knows what he’s getting in Harris and how best to use him.

Besides getting a good player, the Eagles also are getting a dependable one. Since suffering a shoulder injury in college that caused him to go undrafted, he has largely managed to avoid game-missing injuries in his six NFL seasons. Given the Eagles’ bad luck with injuries, they need players who can be not only productive, but also available every week.

» READ MORE: Eagles linked to cornerback Adoree’ Jackson; JuJu Smith-Schuster re-signs with Pittsburgh Steelers

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The Eagles’ two free-agent signings have been at the safety position, and understandably so. A day after inking Andrew Adams to an inexpensive one-year contract, they acquired Harris for one year and $5 million. I don’t yet have the exact breakdown on the deal, but I can’t imagine the guaranteed figure is more than 50% of the maximum value. In other words, the Eagles got a starting-caliber safety with a proven track record for relatively cheap.

While Adams was brought in for special teams and depth, Harris should be slotted into the starting spot opposite Rodney McLeod, whenever he returns from a knee injury. The 29-year-old didn’t have his best season in 2020, which is one reason he was available for so little, but the market also wasn’t there for second-tier veterans. Harris notched nine interceptions in 2018-19, but zero last season. Turnovers aren’t everything, but for a defense that struggled to generate takeaways, the Eagles clearly hope that Harris performs like the version from two years ago.

We still don’t know much about Gannon’s scheme, but if he is to bring the Colts’ system with him, as Domo noted, we could see more Cover-2 and 4 zone coverage. Mills spent most of last season in the box rather than in the post, which could have been one reason the Eagles didn’t bring him back. Mills also signed a rather pricey four-year, $24 million contract with $9 million guaranteed with the Patriots.

McLeod’s uncertain return could complicate the picture at safety. The Eagles would love for him to be back by the opener, if only to be a guide for Adams. But if he isn’t back in time, K’Von Wallace could be forced into the lineup. The second-year safety didn’t show enough as a rookie to be handed the job. Marcus Epps remains on the roster and could be the stopgap instead. The Eagles could also draft a safety, but with so many other needs, they might not want to force the issue.

Given the Eagles’ cap restrictions, the Harris signing was a solid one. That doesn’t mean he’ll come in and solve the safety riddle. But he offers an upgrade without significant cost.

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It would be hard to find a bigger need than safety for the Eagles this offseason. Mills is gone to New England and McLeod is coming off ACL surgery, and might not be ready for the start of 2021. The Eagles haven’t had real safety depth since the early days of the Andy Reid era, so, you subtract the two 2020 starters — plus special teams guy and nominal safety Rudy Ford, signed with Jacksonville — and you have a large, gaping hole. Wallace, a fourth-round rookie last year, is expected to take a bigger role this season, but he played just 18% of the team’s defensive snaps in 2020, and didn’t do much to justify his draft buzz.

So it isn’t a surprise that this position is what Roseman prioritized in free agency with his limited cap bucks. Harris isn’t an All-Pro or anything, but considering the constraints Roseman is working under (constraints he helped create), Harris would seem to be as good a fit as anyone could have hoped. Franchised by the Vikings last season, Harris didn’t have the kind of year he envisioned as a free-agency platform. One year, $5 million, and a shot at a presumably more robust market a year from now was what he was willing to take, and it was about all the Eagles had to give. (What does the fact that Mills got a much better guarantee in free agency than Harris did this year say about the Eagles’ talent assessment? Discuss.)

Roseman deserves praise here, but it is important to point out that this is a one-year fix, at best. Maybe Harris loves playing here, has a great year and re-signs, but it’s more likely that if he has a great year he becomes very expensive and moves on.

» READ MORE: Howie Roseman’s choice: A wide receiver or tight end at No. 6 if the Eagles don’t take a quarterback

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The Harris signing is exactly the kind of move the Eagles should be trying to make this offseason.

Sure, Harris will turn 30 next season and it’s unlikely he’ll be a cornerstone for this team by the time it’s ready to contend again, but there’s still great value in having a quality starting safety at an affordable price. Going into the offseason, safety was one of the biggest needs on the roster, and signing Harris goes a long way toward filling it.

Harris was one of the best safeties in the league in 2019, tallying six interceptions and 11 pass breakups. He wasn’t nearly as effective in 2020, but should still be viewed as a starting-quality safety who will fit nicely in Gannon’s scheme. With McLeod recovering from a torn ACL suffered in December, Harris will give the Eagles at least one experienced player on the back end for the start of the season.

Harris’ $5 million salary for next year is less than Mills’ average annual salary with the Patriots, although Harris will be paid slightly more next season. According to overthecap.com, Harris’ salary ranks 27th among safeties for next season, so it’s hard to argue the Eagles didn’t get great value here.

At worst, Harris will show his six-interception 2019 season was an outlier performance, aided by the talented group around him. At best, Harris proves he’s still one of the better deep safeties in the league and allows us to see what Gannon’s scheme looks like with competent safety play.