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Anthony Harris (safety)

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Anthony Harris
refer to caption
Harris with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2022
No. 41, 28
Position:Safety
Personal information
Born: (1991-10-09) October 9, 1991 (age 33)
Richmond, Virginia, U.S.
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:202 lb (92 kg)
Career information
High school:Lloyd C. Bird (Chesterfield, Virginia)
College:Virginia (2011–2014)
Undrafted:2015
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:356
Forced fumbles:1
Fumble recoveries:4
Pass deflections:31
Interceptions:10
Defensive touchdowns:1
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Anthony Harris (born October 9, 1991) is an American former professional football safety. He played college football for the Virginia Cavaliers, and was signed by the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL) as an undrafted free agent in 2015. He played his first six seasons with Minnesota, and was the NFL interceptions co-leader in 2019.

Early life

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Harris attended Lloyd C. Bird High School in Chesterfield, Virginia, where he played quarterback, wide receiver and defensive back (two-time All-state and All-region selection). As a junior, he allowed only one completion and notched eight interceptions on defense, while also throwing for over 1,000 yards and rushing for 800 more yards from the quarterback spot on offense. In 2010, he was selected to the first-team All-Group AAA football team by the Associated Press (AP) and was named to the All-Dominion District first-team as a utility player and earned All-district second-team accolades at both quarterback and defensive back. Harris was also a starter on the Skyhawk basketball team as well.[1]

Regarded as a three-star prospect according to both Rivals.com and Scout.com, Harris was ranked as the No. 34 athlete in the nation and No. 13 recruit in the state of Virginia by Rivals. He was ranked as the No. 68 wide receiver in the country by Scout. He also received a scouts grade of 72 from ESPN.com and was ranked the No. 201 athlete in nation. Harris committed to play college football at the University of Virginia on June 2, 2010, after being recruited by then head coach Jim Reid. He chose the Cavaliers over scholarship offers from Maryland, Richmond and West Virginia, among others.

College career

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Harris attended the University of Virginia, where he played for the Virginia Cavaliers football team from 2011 to 2014. He started 35 of the 49 games he played at Virginia. Harris ended his collegiate career with 289 tackles (145 solo and 6 for loss), 11 interceptions, 2 sacks, 2 forced fumbles and 19 passes defensed. His 11 interceptions tied him for No. 10 all-time in program history.

In his first season in 2011, Harris was one of 12 true freshmen to appear in games for the Cavaliers, playing in all 13 of Virginia's games. He appeared mostly on special teams and finished the season with 14 total tackles including a season-high three stops at North Carolina.

As a sophomore in 2012, Harris helped anchor the nation's youngest starting secondary, which featured 4 sophomores and 1 freshman. Harris recorded 87 total tackles (48 solo and 0.5 for loss), a forced fumble, an interception and was credited with 3 passes defensed. He was one of 11 Cavaliers to start all 12 games. He made his first career interception at NC State and returned it for 37 yards. He registered four games with double-digit tackles, with 11 against Penn State, 12 against Louisiana Tech, 10 at Duke and had a career-high 14 tackles against North Carolina. Against Louisiana Tech, he helped hold one of the nation's most prolific offenses to its lowest output of total yards (385 yards) on the season and only game the Bulldogs were held under 400 yards.

As a junior in 2013, Harris started 11 games for the Cavaliers, earned first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) honors and was an All-American by Sports Illustrated after leading the nation in interceptions with eight, the most by a Cavalier since Ronde Barber led the ACC with eight in 1994.[2][3] Harris finished the season with 80 total tackles (42 solo and 3.5 for loss), one sack, a forced fumble, six passes defensed and eight interceptions, which placed Harris No. 2 all-time at Virginia for interceptions in a season, tied with Ronde Barber and Kevin Cook. He also blocked a key punt in the second half of Virginia's victory against BYU and was named the Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts against the Cougars.

In his final season at Virginia in 2014, Harris was named 3rd-Team All-ACC. Harris notched a career-high 108 tackles (No. 5 in the ACC and No. 31 in the nation) along with two interceptions, a sack and ten passes defensed. He had eight tackles, broke up one pass and returned one interception for seven yards in Virginia's win against No. 21 Louisville to earn the first of his two ACC Defensive Back of the Week honors, with the second one coming in a win over Miami in which he recorded 10 tackles and broke up three passes. He had 13 tackles against Pitt, including one sack for a loss of 11 yards. He ended the year with seven tackles in the season finale at Virginia Tech.

College statistics

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Season Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck Sfty PD Int Yds Avg Lng TD FF FR Yds
2011 Virginia 13 0 14 6 8 0.0 — 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0
2012 Virginia 12 12 87 48 39 0.0 — 3 1 37 37.0 37 0 1 0 0
2013 Virginia 12 11 80 42 38 1.0 — 6 8 42 5.2 21 0 1 0 0
2014 Virginia 12 12 108 49 59 1.0 — 10 2 6 3.0 7 0 0 0 0
Totals 49 35 289 145 144 2.0 0 19 11 85 7.7 37 0 2 0 0

Professional career

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Pre-draft

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On December 1, 2014, it was announced that Harris had accepted his invitation to play in the 2015 Senior Bowl.[4] Unfortunately, he was unable to participate after discovering he had sustained a torn labrum during his senior season that would require surgery. Harris attended the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Indiana, but was limited to the 40-yard dash due to his injury. He had private visits with representatives from the Minnesota Vikings, New York Giants, and Detroit Lions.[5][6][7] At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Harris received a wide range of varying draft projections due to his shoulder injury. He was projected by NFL draft experts and scouts to possibly go as early as the second round or as late as the seventh. The majority of draft experts and scouts projected him to be a third or fourth round pick. He was ranked the fourth best safety prospect by NFL analyst Charles Davis, the fifth best safety by NFL analyst Bucky Brooks, and was ranked the ninth best free safety in the draft by NFLDraftScout.com.[8][9][10]

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash
6 ft 0+5⁄8 in
(1.84 m) 		183 lb
(83 kg) 		32 in
(0.81 m) 		9+1⁄4 in
(0.23 m)		 4.56 s
All values from NFL Combine[11][12]

Minnesota Vikings

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2015 season

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On May 2, 2015, the Minnesota Vikings signed Harris as an undrafted free agent after he was not one of the 15 safeties selected during the 2015 NFL draft. The Vikings signed him to a three-year, $1.58 million contract that includes a $10,000 signing bonus.[13] Harris going undrafted surprised many scouts and analysts, due to the 2015 NFL draft being very thin at the safety position with only four true safeties being selected in the first two rounds. His fall in the draft was attributed to his shoulder injury and many reporting his recovery process could possibly extend into the beginning of the regular season.[14] ESPN analyst Todd McShay listed Harris as the top undrafted free agent after the draft.[15]

Throughout his first training camp, Harris competed against Andrew Sendejo, Antone Exum, and Robert Blanton for the starting strong safety position. On September 5, 2015, he was waived by the Minnesota Vikings, but was re-signed to the practice squad the following day.[16]

On December 8, 2015, Harris was promoted to the active roster after spending the first 12 games on the practice squad. He was named the starting free safety, alongside cornerback Terrence Newman, after multiple injuries to safeties Harrison Smith, Sendejo, and Exum. On December 10, 2015, Harris made his first career start and professional regular season debut during a 23–20 loss to the Arizona Cardinals and led the team with eight combined tackles while also deflecting a deep pass attempt by Carson Palmer.[17] The following game, he made his second consecutive start and collected five combined tackles and defended a pass in a 38–17 victory over the Chicago Bears. He finished his rookie season with 15 combined tackles (12 solo) and two pass deflections in four games and two starts.[18]

The Vikings completed the 2015 season with an 11–5 record and finished atop the NFC North. On January 10, 2016, Harris appeared in his first career playoff game as the Vikings lost 10–9 to the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Wildcard game.

2016 season

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Harris entered training camp competing for a job as the backup safety against Michael Griffin, Exum, and Jayron Kearse. Head coach Mike Zimmer named Harris the backup free safety to Smith to begin the 2016 season.[19]

On December 11, 2016, Harris started at free safety in place of an injured Smith who suffered a severe high ankle sprain.[20] He recorded seven solo tackles in a 25–16 victory at the Jacksonville Jaguars. The next week, Harris collected a career-high 15 combined tackles and defended a pass as the Vikings were routed 34–6 by the Indianapolis Colts. On January 1, 2017, he started at strong safety in place of Sendejo who injured his knee during practice. Harris went on to make eight combined tackles in a 38–10 victory over the Bears.[21] He finished the season with 30 combined tackles (11 solo) and a pass deflection and played in 16 games with three starts.[22]

2017 season

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Harris began the 2017 regular season as the backup free safety to Smith. On October 15, 2017, against the Green Bay Packers, he started at strong safety after Sendejo was sidelined with a groin injury.[23] He recorded two solo tackles in a 23–10 victory for Minnesota. Due to Sendejo being suspended for a Week 8 matchup against the Cleveland Browns in London, Harris got the start again and recovered a fumble by running back Isaiah Crowell in the third quarter. During a Week 11 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams, Harris recorded a season-high seven combined tackles after starting at strong safety with Sendejo inactive due to a groin and hamstring injury. Harris also deflected a pass, as the Vikings defeated the Rams 24–7.[24]

2018 season

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On March 8, 2018, Harris re-signed with the Vikings.[25] In Week 6 against the Cardinals, Harris recorded his first career interception off quarterback Josh Rosen in the 27–17 win. In Week 11 against the Bears, Harris intercepted Mitchell Trubisky twice in a 25–20 loss.[26]

2019 season

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On March 11, 2019, the Vikings placed a second-round restricted free agent tender on Harris.[27] Following the release of Sendejo, Harris was named a starting safety alongside Smith.

In Week 1 against the Atlanta Falcons, Harris intercepted Matt Ryan twice and recovered a fumble as the Vikings won 28–12.[28] For his Week 1 effort, Harris was awarded NFC Defensive Player of the Week.[29] In Week 8 against the Washington Redskins, Harris recorded his third interception of the season off Dwayne Haskins in the 19–9 win.[30] On December 2, 2019, against the Seahawks, Harris intercepted Russell Wilson and returned it 20 yards for his first career touchdown in the 37–30 loss. Harris would record two more interceptions throughout the season, which came off Philip Rivers in a 39–10 win over the Los Angeles Chargers, and Aaron Rodgers in a 23–10 loss to the Packers. With six interceptions, Harris was tied for the NFL's most alongside New England's Stephon Gilmore and Buffalo's Tre'Davious White.[31]

Harris with the Eagles in 2021

In the NFC Wild Card game against the New Orleans Saints, Harris intercepted a pass thrown by Drew Brees and returned it for 30 yards during the 26–20 overtime win.[32]

2020 season

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On March 16, 2020, the Vikings placed the franchise tag on Harris.[33] He signed his franchise tender on May 18, 2020.[34]

Philadelphia Eagles (first stint)

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Harris signed a one-year $5 million contract with the Philadelphia Eagles on March 20, 2021.[35][36] In week 6, he caught his first and only interception of the season off a pass from Tom Brady during the 22–28 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.[37]

On March 18, 2022, Harris signed a one-year contract to remain with the Eagles.[38] He was released on August 30, 2022, after the Eagles traded for C. J. Gardner-Johnson, and was signed to the practice squad the next day.[39][40] On September 5, the Eagles and Harris mutually agreed to terminate his practice squad contract to maximize Harris' flexibility to join other teams' active rosters.[41]

Denver Broncos

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On September 14, 2022, Harris was signed to the Denver Broncos practice squad.[42] He was promoted to the active roster on November 8.[43] He was released on December 6.[44]

Philadelphia Eagles (second stint)

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After having a free agent visit the day prior, Harris signed with the Eagles on December 13, 2022, following injuries to C. J. Gardner-Johnson and Reed Blankenship.[45]

NFL career statistics

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Regular season

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Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck Sfty PD Int Yds Avg Lng TD FF FR Yds
2015 MIN 4 2 16 13 3 0.0 — 2 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0
2016 MIN 16 3 41 30 11 0.0 — 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 1 0
2017 MIN 16 3 18 16 2 0.0 — 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 2 0
2018 MIN 15 3 46 34 12 0.0 — 6 3 33 11.0 33 0 0 0 0
2019 MIN 14 14 58 35 23 0.0 — 11 6 42 7.0 20 1 0 1 0
2020 MIN 16 16 104 58 25 0.0 — 7 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0
2021 PHI 14 14 72 36 36 0.0 — 3 1 2 2.0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 95 61 356 221 135 0.0 — 28 10 77 7.7 33 1 1 4 0

Postseason

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Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck Sfty PD Int Yds Avg Lng TD FF FR Yds
2015 MIN 1 0 Special teams - no stats
2018 MIN 2 0 11 8 3 0.0 — 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0
2019 MIN 2 2 9 5 4 0.0 — 1 1 30 30.0 30 0 0 0 0
2021 PHI 1 1 13 7 6 0.0 — 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0
Career 6 3 33 20 13 0.0 — 1 1 30 30.0 30 0 0 0 0

References

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  1. ^ "Anthony Harris Bio - VirginiaSports.com - University of Virginia Official Athletics Website - UVA Cavaliers Football". Archived from the original on January 10, 2018. Retrieved December 17, 2013.
  2. ^ Virginia football notes: Harris on ACC coaches' first team
  3. ^ Jameis Winston, Aaron Donald lead SI.com's 2013 All-America Team
  4. ^ "Third group of players pushes roster to 63". seniorbowl.com. December 1, 2014. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
  5. ^ Dave Birkett (April 21, 2015). "Lions host Virginia safety on draft visit". freep.com. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
  6. ^ Carl Knowles (April 23, 2014). "Anthony Harris, A safety on the mend". vikingsterritory.com. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
  7. ^ "Virginia safety Anthony Harris has pre-draft visit with Giants, per source". nj.com. April 20, 2015. Archived from the original on December 15, 2017. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
  8. ^ "Anthony Harris, DS #9 FS, Virginia". nfldraftscout.com. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
  9. ^ Charles Davis (April 7, 2015). "2015 NFL Draft prospect rankings by position". NFL.com. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
  10. ^ Bucky Brooks (February 25, 2015). "Brooks: Top five 2015 NFL Draft prospects by position". NFL.com. Retrieved December 15, 2017.
  11. ^ "Anthony Harris Draft Profile". NFL.com. Archived from the original on December 15, 2017. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
  12. ^ "Anthony Harris, Virginia, FS, 2015 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
  13. ^ "Spotrac.com: Anthony Harris contract". Spotrac.com. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
  14. ^ "Why Undrafted?: Anthony Harris". WalterFootball.com. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
  15. ^ Chris Burke (May 5, 2015). "The next Wes Welker: Finney, Harris among top undrafted free agents". si.com. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
  16. ^ Isaac Schweer (September 6, 2015). "Vikings Re-Sign 9 to Practice Squad". wjon.com. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
  17. ^ Eric Oslund (December 13, 2015). "Harris shows promise at safety for Minnesota". scout.com. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
  18. ^ "NFL Player stats: Anthony Harris". NFL.com. Retrieved December 15, 2017.
  19. ^ "Ourlads.com: Minnesota Vikings depth chart: 10/01/2016". Retrieved December 15, 2017.
  20. ^ Patra, Kevin (December 7, 2016). "Report: Harrison Smith could miss rest of regular season". NFL.com. Retrieved December 15, 2017.
  21. ^ Tasman, Kyle (December 31, 2016). "Andrew Sendejo placed on Injured Reserve". 247sports.com. Retrieved December 15, 2017.[dead link‍]
  22. ^ "NFL Player stats: Anthony Harris (2016)". NFL.com. Retrieved December 15, 2017.
  23. ^ Yotter, Tim (October 23, 2017). "Sendejo inactive, Packers missing starters". scout.com. Retrieved December 15, 2017.
  24. ^ Yotter, Tim (November 23, 2017). "Sendejo returns for Vikings, Lions make Ansah active". scout.com. Retrieved December 15, 2017.
  25. ^ Alper, Josh (March 8, 2018). "Vikings will hold onto Anthony Harris". ProFootballTalk.NBCSports.com.
  26. ^ "In loss to Bears, Anthony Harris makes his case at safety". SKOR North. November 19, 2018. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  27. ^ "Vikings Announce Roster Moves". Vikings.com. March 11, 2019.
  28. ^ "Vikings trample Falcons 28-12 behind fierce defense, Cook". ESPN. Associated Press. September 8, 2019. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
  29. ^ "Lamar Jackson, Dak Prescott among Players of the Week". NFL.com. September 11, 2019. Archived from the original on September 14, 2019.
  30. ^ "Cook, Vikings wear down Redskins 19-9 for 4th straight win". ESPN. October 24, 2019. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
  31. ^ "For first time in 16 years, Vikings have an NFL interception leader: Anthony Harris". December 31, 2019.
  32. ^ "Cook, Vikings upend Saints 26-20 in OT in NFC playoffs". ESPN. Associated Press. January 5, 2020. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
  33. ^ Shook, Nick (March 16, 2020). "Vikings use franchise tag to keep Anthony Harris". NFL.com.
  34. ^ Smith, Eric (May 18, 2020). "Anthony Harris Signs Franchise Tender Offer". Vikings.com. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  35. ^ "Ex-Vikings S Harris headed to Eagles, agent says". March 19, 2021.
  36. ^ McPherson, Chris (March 20, 2021). "Eagles add S Anthony Harris, the right 'fit' on defense". PhiladelphiaEagles.com.
  37. ^ "Anthony Harris Game Logs". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
  38. ^ McManus, Tim (March 18, 2022). "Philadelphia Eagles, safety Anthony Harris agree to 1-year deal, source says". ESPN.com.
  39. ^ McPherson, Chris (August 30, 2022). "Eagles announce initial 53-man roster". PhiladelphiaEagles.com.[permanent dead link‍]
  40. ^ McPherson, Chris (August 31, 2022). "Eagles sign 15 players to the practice squad". PhiladelphiaEagles.com.
  41. ^ "Eagles and Anthony Harris agree to part ways". September 5, 2022.
  42. ^ Swanson, Ben (September 14, 2022). "Broncos place Justin Simmons on injured reserve, promote Essang Bassey to active roster". Denver Broncos. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
  43. ^ DiLalla, Aric (November 8, 2022). "Broncos place C Lloyd Cushenberry III on IR, promote S Anthony Harris to active roster". DenverBroncos.com.
  44. ^ Swanson, Ben (December 6, 2022). "Broncos waive S Anthony Harris, T Quinn Bailey from active roster". DenverBroncos.com.
  45. ^ Gowton, Brandon Lee (December 13, 2022). "Eagles reportedly re-sign their former starting safety [UPDATE]". Bleeding Green Nation. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
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