According to Vic Tafur of The Athletic, the Falcons have signed former Las Vegas Raiders safety Erik Harris.
Safety Erik Harris is signing with the Falcons.
— Vic Tafur (@VicTafur) March 18, 2021
Harris is a former CFL defensive back who played for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. In three seasons, he recorded 79 tackles and three interceptions over 45 games. However, it was his standout leadership skills that caught the attention of NFL talent evaluators.
“The more you look at Erik Harris, the more you look at, he’s a glue guy,” Mayock said. “Not only for the entire team, but specifically in the back end.”
“He gets people lined up, he’s the best communicator we have back there, and he’s one of our top special teams players. So when you look at Erik Harris, I think a lot of times he gets underrated. He doesn’t get the respect he deserves,” Mayock said.
Harris had some troubles with missed tackles in 2020 but performed much better in 2018 and 2019. Given the Falcons current situation at safety, he would be a starter; however, I expect Terry Fontenot to bring in much more competition before the start of the season.
Harris earned a starting role during the 2018 season when he made 49 tackles, defended seven passes, and intercepted two balls in 16 games. His production led to a two-year contract extension, signed in March 2019, through the 2020 season. Mayock has praised Harris regularly for his intangibles, and that is likely the attribute that attracted Fontenot, who has a connection to the former Raider. Fontenot helped bring Harris to New Orleans prior to the 2016 season.
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