Getty Maurice Harris catches a touchdown vs. the Lions in the preseason.
Maurice Harris has been waiting for another NFL chance and the Detroit Lions are now taking a closer look at what the wide receiver brings to the table
According to Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network, the Lions are getting a look at Harris this week via workout.
When pressed on what this could mean for the injured Danny Amendola by a commenter, Garafolo responded that he didn’t seem to think that this meant anything dramatic about the status of Detroit’s injured veteran wideout moving forward. That would certainly be good news for the team.
@JonStephens18 Don’t think one has to do with the other. Just a guy they’ve been keeping an eye on.
Harris, who was signed by the New England Patriots this offseason, came into the league in 2016 with the Washington Redskins after being an undrafted free agent out of California. In Washington, Harris went for 482 yards and 1 touchdown. Easily his best season came in 2018, when he caught 28 passes for 304 yards. That got him on the radar of several teams as a free agent this past offseason.
After signing with the Patriots, Harris sustained a foot injury which hampered his ability to make the team out of training camp. With numerous options at the position and plenty of players returning off injury, the Patriots had to make tough decisions and cut Harris. The foot injury was a big reason why he was not able to crack the roster, and it may have been a case of unfortunate timing.
According to Garafolo, though, that foot is apparently not a problem now given his recent clearance from a foot and ankle specialist. That could mean the market is set to move for Harris eventually if there are wideout needy teams in the mix for his services.
For the Lions, depth hasn’t been a problem at wide receiver this season, but Amendola went down with injury against the Philadelphia Eagles and did not play this past Sunday. Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones have been healthy and playing well so far, and Marvin Hall jumped at the chance to play a big role after jumping into the mix. Still, there is always room for more talent to enter the group.
Harris would simply add another potent weapon to the wideout room if the Lions did decide to sign him. It’s possible the Lions and Bob Quinn are keeping tabs on free agents in the case of major injuries coming up or other trouble playing out.
While at Cal, Harris was a very productive four year player, putting up 1,004 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns in his career. Interestingly enough, he is cousins with Los Angeles Chargers wideout Keenan Allan, whom he played with in college.
Prior to the foot injury, Harris was drawing rave reviews for his performance in Patriots training camp. At one point, he was even referred to as one of the best options on the team for Tom Brady to throw to.
Whether or not he ends up with the Lions remains to be seen, but at the very least, the team is giving Harris a look and a chance to make an impression.
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