Broncos: Top 11 takeaways from George Paton’s pre-free agency presser
3. Shelby Harris is a “priority”
Over the course of the last two seasons, perhaps no defensive lineman has been more underrated across the entire NFL than Shelby Harris.
Harris hasn’t been a sack artist, but he’s been so impactful as both a run defender and pass defender, and I say that intentionally. Not only can Harris rush the QB (8.5 sacks, 17 QB hits in 27 games under Vic Fangio) but he is one of the best in the NFL at batting passes at the line of scrimmage.
He has 17 of those over the last two seasons.
Paton on Shelby Harris: “Shelby’s a priority in free agency. He’s a really good football player, he’s a good person, I know Vic has talked with him, he’s a guy we definitely want back.” #BroncosCountry @KOAColorado
— Brandon Krisztal (@BKDenverSports) March 4, 2021
The Broncos’ coaching staff loves Shelby Harris’ fit in the defense, and Harris loves his fit with Fangnio as well. It’s a primary reason that he was willing to play last season for just $3.25 million when other players with his production were making at least $7-8 million annually, many of them more than that.
At the age of 29 going on 30, it’s tough to project Shelby Harris’ market value, but his value to the Broncos is tremendous.
Based on what happened last offseason, it wouldn’t be shocking to see the Broncos strike a deal with Harris worth somewhere between $6-8 million per season for the next three or four years. He is worth a nice pay day and obviously George Paton recognized that in his film study.