Denver Broncos: 3 players who need a strong finish to 2020

3. Shelby Harris, DL

Shelby Harris is a proven commodity, why does he need to play well over the final five games of the 2020 season?

Well, Harris is one of the Broncos’ key free agent defensive players in 2021 and there’s no guarantee he will be back with the team again.

As a matter of fact, it’s stunning that the Broncos were able to get him back for the 2020 season in the first place when Shelby’s performance dictated he should have been paid at least $8-9 million per season in the 2020 offseason.

The Broncos got him back at one year, $3 million.

Harris isn’t going to get fleeced like that again with the way he’s played through seven games, but he has missed the last four contests dealing with being on the COVID/reserve list.

What does Harris need to prove over the final stretch of games this season? Simply put, he likely has to prove to the Broncos’ front office that he is worth paying the guaranteed cash to keep around rather than likely keeping both he and veteran Jurrell Casey, who has missed most of the season on IR.

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Harris is such a key piece of the Broncos’ defense and he’s gotten better every single year he’s been with the team. In order to get a new contract and prove he’s worth keeping over other guys, he’s got to show out over these final five games.