The latest team to see one of its players hit with a gambling suspension, the Broncos look to be considering a reunion as a result. Shelby Harris worked out for his former team Friday, Nick Kosmider of The Athletic tweets.
On the workout circuit months after his Seahawks release, Harris is obviously quite familiar with Denver. The Broncos featured Harris as a defensive line regular from 2017-21, re-signing him to a three-year, $27MM deal in the process. The team included Harris in 2022’s Russell Wilson trade, however.
Revamping their D-line once again, the Seahawks cut bait on the Broncos-constructed Harris contract in March. The Broncos added Zach Allen to replace Dre’Mont Jones, who ended up replacing Harris in Seattle, but lost one of their 2022 D-line draftees — Eyioma Uwazurike — to an indefinite gambling ban. The former fourth-round pick, obtained with a selection that came back to Denver in the Wilson swap, was found to have bet on NFL games, clouding his future.
Although the Broncos have changed coaching staffs multiple times since Harris last took the field for them, the interior D-lineman has experience with new Denver DC Vance Joseph. The Broncos initially signed Harris during Joseph’s run as head coach. The soon-to-be 32-old DT played for the team throughout the Joseph and Vic Fangio HC tenures.
Harris started 49 games for the Broncos from 2017-21, spending most of the Fangio period as a first-stringer. He became known for pass batdowns while in Denver, deflecting 16 between the 2019 and ’20 seasons, and registered six sacks apiece in 2019 and ’21. With Seattle last year, Harris started all 15 games he played. Pro Football Focus rated Harris as a top-20 inside D-lineman, but while the Seahawks were open to bringing him back, his 2022 production has not led to a known wave of interest.
The Broncos have Allen, D.J. Jones and Mike Purcell up front, with 2022 draftee Matt Henningsen expected to play a key role as well. The team added Tyler Lancaster this offseason, with reserve Jonathan Harris remaining on the team after arriving in 2019.
Harris was a really good starter in Denver. He wasn’t a superstar, but he anchored that d-line for several years. A reunion would likely benefit both parties, and though he is older, Harris’ production figures to outclass Uwazurike’s as is.
Bring Him Home! Never should had traded him to begin with.