Denver Broncos: Is Chris Harris Jr. still underrated?
Denver Broncos cornerback Chris Harris Jr. has established himself as one of the best in the game, but is he still being underrated?
Chris Harris Jr. is the best cornerback in the NFL. He may have only had two interceptions for the Denver Broncos this past season, but that’s not relevant, frankly. 28-year old Kansas Jayhawks product has firmly established himself as the best in the game in recent years. What’s odd, however, is how little some seem to recognize that.
Harris may have only registered those two picks in the 2016 season, but from a mere statistical perspective, he did much more. The former undrafted free agent signing also notched 57 total tackles on the season, a great number for a cornerback. What’s more, he also scored 11 passes defended on the year, forced a fumble and recovered a fumble as well.
Even from an advanced analytics standpoint, Harris continued to shine. He graded as the No. 1 overall cornerback in the league last season by Pro Football Focus’ metrics, anchored by the best coverage grade in the league as well. What’s more, this came as he played the sixth-most snaps of any cornerback in the league last season. That goes to highlight that he not only plays well, but does so with remarkable consistency.
More from NFL Spin Zone
- Dallas Cowboys made the trade everyone else should have made
- Pittsburgh Steelers rookie sleeper everyone should be talking about
- Anthony Richardson putting jaw-dropping talent on display immediately
- Denver Broncos’ stud wide receiver might be out for a while
- Washington Commanders: Three takeaways from win over Ravens
Yet, when you hear talk of the elite cornerbacks in the league, Harris is rarely the first mentioned. Players such as Richard Sherman, Malcolm Butler, Marcus Peters and so on all come up before the mention of Harris. Hell, some would probably mention fellow Bronco Aqib Talib before Harris in that type of debate.
While all of those players are certainly worthy of mentioning in that conversation, they are inferior to Harris, even if the margin isn’t necessarily substantial. Going just beyond grades from PFF or statistical production, what makes Harris the best in the league is the simple fact that he’s not just great, but he’s more versatile than any other cornerback at his level.
One of the biggest criticisms of a player like Sherman is the zone scheme that he plays, thus bringing into question how he’d be outside of the Seattle Seahawks system. Butler is another player that fits that bill in terms of succeeding in a specific scheme. However, even other elite corners that aren’t as schematically dependent still warrant similar criticisms. How often do you see a player such as Peters or Talib lining up in the nickel? How often are these guys really switching sides of the field?
These are the things that separate Harris from the pack. Not only is he capable of being a shutdown player no matter where he’s lined up, but he’s actually forced to prove that with how he’s deployed. He moves all over the field throughout a given game, defending wherever he’s asked to.
Is Harris aided by playing with elite guys like Talib in the secondary and Von Miller in the pass rush? Sure. However, you can’t take away the merit of a player and what he’s capable of because he has good teammates, especially when a player is as proven as Harris is at this point.
Next: NFL Power Rankings 2017: Best players by jersey number
So when the conversation of the best cornerback in the NFL comes up, let people throw out the big names, those that talk the loudest and get the most media attention. For 60 minutes on Sundays, the best cornerback in football is Chris Harris. And that’s where it counts.