Just two weeks after being unexpectedly cut by the Jets, the Patriots scooped up and signed linebacker David Harris to a two-year contract. The deal consists of a $5 million base value with $1.75 million guaranteed, giving Harris the chance to earn up to $6.75 million total. The total cash indicates that Harris will in fact be a roster lock for New England this upcoming season alongside Dont’a Hightower. This is another quietly genius move by none other than Bill Belichick, snagging a valuable and productive player late in the offseason compared to fighting with other teams for him once free agency begins. Not to mention, using the rest of the AFC East as his personal minor league system when the three other dumpster fires give up on useful talent. We’ve seen this movie one million times before, and it’s never gotten old.
Every time the Patriots play the Jets, Belichick is almost guaranteed to bring up Harris in some way during a press conference, raving about his durability, leadership skills, productivity, you name it. You can tell that Belichick has had his eyes on the veteran for some time now, and for good reason. Harris has only missed one game since the 2008 season and had been a staple in the Jets’ defense for nearly a decade. He brings some much needed veteran leadership to a fairly young Patriots defense, even though Dont’a Hightower has been and is undoubtedly this team’s defensive leader and play caller.
Did the Patriots necessarily need this player at this time? Well, no, but the signing does answer a few questions here in mid-to-late June, mainly in regards to Hightower. One, who is going to get the majority of the snaps beside the recently re-signed Hightower? Shea McClellin, Kyle Van Noy and Elandon Roberts are all behind him on the depth chart; not exactly a sexy fallback plan if the injury prone Hightower does go down. That then brings up another question: who would replace Hightower if he were to suffer another injury and miss a couple of games? Harris is undeniably the answer to both of those questions.
Start getting used to Harris and Hightower as the primary 1-2 combo at linebacker this upcoming season. In training camp and the preseason, expect to see Harris play on the outside while Hightower plays the middle, but don’t be surprised if Matt Patricia decides to switch that around once the season starts and bounce back and forth during the season.
Last season, after Jamie Collins was traded to Cleveland, the linebacker position was kind of a debacle from there on out. The 1-2 punch would fluctuate from week to week based on the opponent’s strengths, so you never really knew who was going to play next to Hightower on any given down, which was pretty scary. Roberts succeeds downhill against the run and also in timing up a blitz. Both Van Noy and McClellin are pretty versatile in their own ways, being able to align differently against certain running backs in certain plays. Harris is mostly a two-down back and is a much more polished all-around player compared to the other three. The Patriots have mixed and matched players next to Hightower throughout his entire career, so this is nothing new, bringing in a new face for him.
As for Plan B if Hightower does go down at any point, Harris will fill in for him. This is the perfect insurance plan for Hightower, giving you similar strengths both physically and mentally. Harris is known for his communication with the rest of the defense, which is also where Hightower thrives. Harris excels in both any running and passing plays, which is also what Hightower is known for. While Harris is obviously older at 33 than the 27-year old Hightower, he’s easily the best temporary replacement for him if the push does come to shove.
Harris has shown virtually so sign of decline past the age of 30, which is great to see in any aging player. He is number two in total tackles in Jets team history, racking up 70 to 90-tackle seasons year in and year out. Just two seasons ago, he posted a 10-sack season in 2014-2015. He certainly isn’t a spring chicken, but Belichick knows that he could be a useful player to this team in need of some dependable linebacker depth. He wasn’t a critical must-sign, but he sure helps smooth out some leftover wrinkles in New England’s defense early on in the process of preparing for the 2017-2018 season.
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