Chris Harris Jr. has been a constant on the field for the Denver Broncos and has been no stranger to change, however this year he is embracing the concept…
As the second week of OTA’s kicked off on Monday, Chris Harris Jr. spoke to the media following the team’s workout. Harris Jr. was an open book when he gave his outlook on the 2017 season.
Some of the changes Harris Jr. and the Broncos will experience heading into 2017 are a new defensive coordinator, new defensive backs coach, new additions, and how he sees his role increasing more-so on the field this year.
Harris Jr. finished 2016 with two interceptions and 11 pass deflections, but the stat that doesn’t appear in box scores is the number of receivers he’s shut down. Let there be no question, Harris Jr. has thrived in his role on the field and embraces any challenge ahead of him.
One of the biggest changes was losing Wade Phillips to the Los Angeles Rams in the offseason. Joe Woods takes center stage as the Broncos new defensive coordinator, formerly Harris Jr.’s defensive backs coach.
"We like it. He knows our strengths, so that is a good thing having a guy that really knows how we play and things like that. Him getting elevated to the D-Coordinator, I think it is a perfect fit for us and what we’re trying to do. We’re doing a lot of things that we have done in the past, but we’re kind of adding more wrinkles and taking it to another level. With Wade we were on Level 2 on a lot of things, but now we are on Level 3 on some coverage’s– Chris Harris Jr on Joe Woods being named Defensive Coordinator (all quotes via official Denver Broncos press release)"
Harris Jr. addressed many areas that many seemingly had questions for. Specifically the narrative of the quarterback battle that is currently happening in Denver between Paxton Lynch and Trevor Siemian.
"“We thought Trevor had a great year last year. He definitely had some ups and downs, but the dude played injured a lot. He took a lot of hits. For him to get back up and do [what he did], we see a lot of promise in him.”"
Harris Jr.’s outlook for Paxton Lynch showed promise in the young quarterback. “It’s going to be a huge year for him to go from Year 1 to Year 2 and have two offensive coordinators. I think Mike McCoy’s offense will help him a lot more.”
Defensive Expectations:
When it comes to Harris Jr.’s goals for the defense, he hopes that they can keep competing at a high level. Harris Jr. believes that Lorenzo Doss will have an increased role this year and is excited for the young corner to step up. “I think Doss is ready. I think Doss is ready to take that next step. He’s been under us and learning.”
Denver however will be without DeMarcus Ware and the leadership that came with Ware’s presence. However, Harris Jr. believes that the defense won’t miss a beat when it comes to leadership.
"“Everybody has been a leader on our team. Our defense, we have tons of leaders. We’re still the same defense. We’re going to hold everyone to a high level, talk mess to the offense and talk mess to the receivers.”"
With a defense consisting of playmakers, it may not be a surprise to anybody if the Broncos defense remains elite. Denver recently bolstered their defensive line by adding Domata Peko and Zach Kerr.
"“We didn’t have enough beef. We weren’t big enough”– Harris Jr on the defensive line’s struggles last season"
What are your thoughts on Harris Jr’s comments yesterday? If you missed the press conference, you can watch it up above in the link in the first paragraph.