3 NFC East free agents Commanders should consider signing
By Jerry Trotta
2. Anthony Harris
With Landon Collins moving out of a full-time role at safety, the Commanders have a pretty sizable hole to fill in their secondary. With Bobby McCain hitting free agency, Kamren Curl, Jeremy Reaves and 2021 fifth-rounder Darrick Forrest are currently the only safeties on the roster.
To put some perspective on how concerning that is, Reaves played just 56% of the snaps this year, and Forrest, who missed most of the year recovering from injury, saw the field for 40 total snaps;20 apiece on defense and special teams.
That brings us to Anthony Harris, who signed with the Eagles on a one-year deal last offseason after a six-year run in Minnesota. A Virginia native, Harris could be open to the idea of playing his home games in Landover, MD.
In 2021 (14 games), the former undrafted safety racked up 72 tackles, three passes defended and an interception. It wasn’t an earth-shattering season from Harris, but he’s been a productive player throughout his career.
Over the last three seasons, he’s averaged 78.6 tackles to go with 21 passes defended and seven interceptions, while earning a 71.6 coverage grade from Pro Football Focus. At 30 years old, Harris would add a more profound veteran presence to a secondary that already includes Kendall Fuller and William Jackson.
It’s worth noting that Harris wouldn’t be our top choice. There are a handful of other free agent safeties we’d prefer Washington to sign. However, if the front office is looking for a reliable, cost-effective option, the pending Eagles free agent would be a solid contingency plan if re-signing McCain goes awry.