Philadelphia Eagles make big-splash by signing Anthony Harris

The Philadelphia Eagles land a big name in free agency.

Get excited about this one Philadelphia Eagles fans. Former Minnesota Vikings safety Anthony Harris is signing a one-year deal with the Birds. This move came as a surprise to most, but it could end up paying dividends. Harris and Harrison Smith formed one of the best safety duos the league has seen in recent years while they were teammates in Minneapolis.

There is uncertainty at the safety position for Philly moving forward. Rodney McLeod is the most experienced in the group. He’s also on the last year of his deal and just suffered his second season-ending injury in three seasons.

Jalen Mills and Rudy Ford both got their paydays in free agency. That leaves K’Von Wallace, Marcus Epps, Grayland Arnold, and recently signed Andrew Adams as the safeties on the roster.

Wallace has room to grow and might ideally be a third safety in big nickel and different spots in the defense. That’s not a bad thing. Some safeties thrive in those types of roles as sub-package players.

Epps has played better than his undrafted free agent label but still has plenty of room for improvement. Relying on him as a full-time starter wouldn’t be a good move. Epps and Arnold can still contribute on special teams if they earn roster spots. Adams has played well in the past, but teams always have to be looking to upgrade at each position. That’s what the Eagles did here.

Every aspect of this move makes sense for the Philadelphia Eagles.

Anthony Harris eases some of the concern at the position as one of the smarter and rangier safeties in the NFL. Just two years ago, he was easily one of the best in the league at the position. Quarterbacks feared throwing his way after he picked off nine passes in 2018-2019 combined. Harris was a bit of a late-bloomer but the Vikings’ patience paid off in the end.

2020 was a bit disappointing but if we’re being honest, the Vikings defense as a whole took a massive step back. That doesn’t excuse Harris from any of the blame but he definitely suffered from the situation around him. For 2021, Harris is considered a popular bounce-back candidate.

Even in what was a down year in 2020, there were still some bright spots for the 29-year-old. He’ll look to build upon those and return to his 2018-2019 form.

Did we mention that the Birds signed him for cheap? It was just a one-year, five-million-dollar deal. If Harris doesn’t play well, Philly can let him walk in free agency. If he succeeds, they can try to extend him for a few more years. As of right now, the Eagles should have more room to work with in 2022. According to Over the Cap, they are currently projected to have a little bit over 34-million in cap space.

For what the Eagles paid and the current state of the safety position, this deal makes a lot of sense. Harris is one of the most talented safeties in the league when he is at his best. His familiarity with Jonathan Gannon should make for an easier transition into the defensive scheme. As Adam Caplan pointed out, Gannon could very well implement elements of Mike Zimmer’s defense into his own in 2021.