Getty Denver Broncos CB Chris Harris Jr. celebrating during Super Bowl 50.
Former Denver Broncos cornerback Chris Harris Jr. has found a new home. This time it’s out east with the New Orleans Saints.
According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Harris has been signed to the Saints’ practice squad.
In addition to New Orleans signing the All-Pro cornerback, the Saints have waived defensive back DaMarcus Fields and Tre Swilling, per Katherine Terrell of ESPN.
The four-time Pro Bowl cornerback will be re-united with Dennis Allen, after Allen was Harris’ defensive coordinator in 2011 with the Broncos.
Harris Before the Saints
Harris, 33, entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2011 out of the University of Kansas. The former Jayhawk signed with the Broncos with a $2,000 signing bonus entering training camp. Battling day in and day out, Harris ended up making the 53-man roster as the fourth cornerback on the team behind Hall of Famer Champ Bailey, Andre Goodman, and Cassius Vaughn.
As a rookie, Harris appeared in all 16 games and had a career high 72 combined tackles and one interception. While playing opposite of Bailey, in 2012 the Broncos went out and signed former Saints cornerback Tracy Porter. This moved Harris into the slot where he shined and became one of the best slot corners in the game.
In his second season, Harris would intercept three more passes and help lead the fourth ranked scoring defense into the postseason. Denver would lose to the Baltimore Ravens in dramatic fashion in double overtime.
In 2013, Harris would have another solid season intercepting three more passes while knocking down 14. In the Divisional Round of the playoffs, Harris would leave the game with a torn ACL. Denver would end up playing in the 2014 Super Bowl without Harris, but were dominated by Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks 43-8.
After recovering from his torn ACL, Harris had a career year in 2014. In the offseason, Harris received a pay raise of $2.1 million after the Broncos placed a second-round tender on him. Midway through the season, Harris signed a four-year $42.5 million extension to stay with one of the best defenses in football.
Having the best year of his career, Harris would add on three more interceptions to his resume and knocked down a career high 17 passes. Harris would be elected to his first ever Pro Bowl and was named as a second-team All-Pro. The former Broncos cornerback would end up going to three more Pro Bowls and received All-Pro honors two more times.
In 2015, Harris would help lead the Broncos to a Super Bowl victory over the Carolina Panthers. In fact, after the game when talking to the media, Harris was being vocal and honest about Panthers’ quarterback Cam Newton and what the game plan was to slow him down. Newton would get up and leave the postgame press conference which then created headlines.
It appears Cam Newton was irritated by Chris Harris’ nearby presser. May have led to him walking out of his presser.
Harris would play four more seasons with the Broncos having big years, but Denver would miss the playoffs in those four years. The frustration factor was there with Harris after the Broncos couldn’t find a franchise quarterback to put points on the board to help out the defense.
In 2019, Harris talked with multiple teams including the Saints, per source. The former Denver slot cornerback would sign a two-year deal with the Chargers.
Playing in just 23 games with Los Angeles, Harris would only total up two more interceptions and knock down eight more. The Chargers also missed the playoffs in both seasons Harris was there.
Remembering the ‘No Fly Zone’
In 2014, Denver had one of the most talented defenses in the NFL, but ranked just 16th in scoring under head coach John Fox and defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio. The Broncos secondary was top 10 in passing yards allowed, but 25th in passing touchdowns.
After getting upset by the Indianapolis Colts in the playoffs, general manager John Elway went out and hired Gary Kubiak as head coach. Kubiak then went out and hired defensive guru Wade Phillips to run the defense.
Things then fell into place.
Already having Harris, Aqib Talib, Bradley Roby, and safety T.J. Ward in the secondary, the Broncos went out and signed Darian Stewart to play free safety. The “No Fly Zone” became official.
With the offense struggling, the legendary secondary stepped up and shutdown opposing offenses.
The “No Fly Zone” improved ranking first in passing yards allowed and third in passing touchdowns. Harris’ defense intercepted 14 passes and gave up just 19 touchdown passes. Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was the only quarterback that threw for over 300 yards in a single game during the regular season against the Denver secondary.
From the final game of the regular season through the Super Bowl, Denver faced off against Phillip Rivers, Roethlisberger, Tom Brady, and league MVP Cam Newton. The Broncos would beat all of them and go on and win the 2016 Super Bowl.
When you go back and look at the greatest defenses of all-time, you will now see the 2015 Broncos on that list because they had one of, if not the greatest secondary of all-time and it all started with an undrafted free agent by the name of Chris Harris Jr.