The Philadelphia Eagles sat out the first few days of free agency, largely due to their salary cap situation, but finally made a significant signing on Friday when they agreed to terms on a deal with ex-Vikings safety Anthony Harris. Harris turns 30 years old in October, and the agreement is for one year and $5 million, according to ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter.
Harris and new Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon overlapped during the safety’s first three years in the NFL with the Vikings, though Harris was just a role player at the time after going undrafted in the 2015 NFL Draft.
Here’s what reporters, writers, and analysts around the league are saying about the move.
How does arrival of ex-Vikings safety Anthony Harris change dynamic of Eagles’ defense? 4 thoughts (Mike Kaye, NJ.com)
The Eagles are cap-strapped and need to focus on affordability in free agency. Roseman waited out the brutal safety market and came away with one of Pro Football Focus’s top-ranked players of the past three years. Harris was a huge bargain, and now he will be a premium asset in the secondary.
Nick Sirianni is an offensive head coach, who has a strong background in developing players. Defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon is considered a fast-riser in the NFL and might only be around for a couple of years if all goes well with his defense. Adding veteran defenders on short-term deals is ideal because it allows the Eagles to focus on offense in the draft.
Grading the move: Eagles add Anthony Harris, finally make a splash in free agency (Wulf, Kapadia, Berman, The Athletic)
Bo Wulf: Generally speaking, I don’t necessarily love the idea of a team facing a rebuild bringing in a 30-year-old safety (turns 30 during the season) on a one-year deal. There doesn’t seem to be much upside to the investment. But what I think makes the addition of Harris exciting is that we should be able to fairly judge Jonathan Gannon in Year 1.
Sheil Kapadia: Had Harris reached the market last offseason, he likely would have received a multiyear deal worth at least $9 million per season. But in a surprise move, the Vikings used the franchise tag on him. At the time, there was buzz that they were exploring a tag-and-trade, but that didn’t happen, and Harris stayed in Minnesota.
Zach Berman: The Eagles’ biggest need entering the offseason was safety, and they signed one of the best safeties on the market. When framing the move that way, it’s hard not to credit the Eagles. Harris makes the defense better. He has familiarity with the scheme Gannon is expected to run and the safety he’ll be joining (McLeod, a one-time college teammate at Virginia). And the contract isn’t too burdensome. So there’s much to like with the signing — even if it seems more like swinging for good value than adding a potential building block.
Report: Eagles to sign Vikings S Anthony Harris (Jimmy Kempski, PhillyVoice)
The Eagles have inside intel on Harris, as new defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon was the Vikings’ assistant defensive backs coach from 2014 to 2017. He overlapped with Harris from 2015 to 2017.
The Eagles had a severe need at safety heading into this offseason, with Jalen Mills heading to New England on a four-year deal, and Rodney McLeod unlikely to be ready for the start of the 2021 season. Harris will obviously be an immediate starter.
One downside is that he will turn 30 in October, which is not ideal for a team in rebuild mode. Still, he’s a good player at a bargain price.
Ex-Vikings S Anthony Harris, Eagles Reportedly Agree to 1-Year, $5M Contract (Scott Polacek, Bleacher Report)
It wasn’t just the traditional stats that stood out about Harris’ performance, as Pro Football Focus gave him a head-turning player grade of 90.5 and named him to its All-Pro team in 2019.
The Eagles surely hope he can replicate that type of impact for the upcoming season following this contract. Considering he is still in his prime at 29 years old and turned the corner as a full-time starter in 2019, it is not unreasonable to expect just that.
Eagles sign former NFL interception leader to 1-year deal (Reuben Frank, NBC Sports Philadelphia)
From 2015 through 2017, Harris worked with Vikings assistant defensive backs coach Jonathan Gannon, who is now the Eagles’ defensive coordinator.
Harris gives the Eagles immediate help at a position of desperate need.
With Jalen Mills now in New England and Rodney McLeod coming off a torn ACL suffered in December, the Eagles had only K’Von Wallace, Marcus Epps, Grayland Arnold and recently signed depth piece Andrew Adams at safety.
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Mike Maher is the editor and publisher of The Birds Blitz and Juiced Ball Era. Follow him on Twitter @mikeMaher and @TheBirdsBlitz and check out his archive for all of his latest stories about the Eagles and the NFL.
Image credit: “Anthony Harris” by Brook-Ward is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.
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