Denver Broncos: Get to know new DL Jonathan Harris

The Denver Broncos were awarded defensive lineman Jonathan Harris off of waivers from the Chicago Bears. Here’s what you need to know about him.

The Denver Broncos had a roster spot open after trading away wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders to the San Francisco 49ers, and they have reportedly filled that spot by putting a waiver claim on rookie defensive lineman Jonathan Harris, a product of Lindenwood University.

As a quick side note, Lindenwood’s head coach, Jed Stugart, is an incredible leader, an awesome person, and a fellow Denver Broncos fan.

The roster move was first reported by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

So who is this Harris guy?

Let’s get to know him as best we can.

At a glance

Height: 6-foot-5
Weight: 290 pounds
College: Lindenwood University
Experience: Rookie (2 games)
Position: Defensive end

For the crowd thinking this is a move for Fangio to get one of his guys from the Bears, think again.

Harris never played for Fangio in Chicago because he’s a rookie in the NFL this year.

The Illinois native was obviously thrilled to sign with the Bears coming out of the 2019 NFL Draft where he was an undrafted free agent, and he initially cracked the Bears’ practice squad before getting a call up to the active roster in late September.

Now, the Bears have brought in Brent Urban and Harris is the guy they let go of to make room for him. They were hoping to bring Harris back to their practice squad.

2018 college stats

• 59 total tackles
• 11.5 tackles for loss
• 6.0 sacks

Harris was obviously wildly productive at the NAIA level. That’s how these guys get noticed by the NFL. He whipped opponents on the interior offensive line and appears to be a fit at defensive end or 3T in the Broncos’ defense.

One of the issues scouts had with him coming out is a lack of leverage when he plays, and that’s a likely result of having the physical strength to just maul players at a lower level of competition.

Still, in what I was able to watch of Harris he has a nice hand punch, strong moves to split the gap between the guard and center, and nice overall length which he uses to his advantage.

Broncos roster impact

This now gives the Broncos seven defensive linemen on the roster, and I don’t know how long it’s going to stay that way.

I don’t think there’s any doubt about this team keeping Shelby Harris, DeMarcus Walker, Dre’Mont Jones, and Mike Purcell around, but could someone like Derek Wolfe or Adam Gotsis be on the move?

The Broncos already have Gotsis inactive on game days and are only dressing five guys, so there’s not really a need for seven on the active roster at this particular point in time.

I wonder if there’s another trade on the horizon.