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The New Orleans Saints have made additions to the defense a priority early and often in free agency, with their first big addition coming from a reunion with former first-round pick Malcolm Jenkins. They also landed the XFL’s interceptions king in Deatrick Nichols, and chose to keep veteran slot corner Patrick Robinson around on a lower salary rather than cutting him outright. A similar renegotiated contract with Janoris Jenkins keeps them well-stocked in the secondary, but it wouldn’t be a shock if more additions (like controversial Los Angeles Rams salary cap casualty Nickell Robey-Coleman) are coming.
One of those free agent pickups might have been Denver Broncos star Chris Harris Jr. ESPN’s Josina Anderson reported that the Saints were one of several teams trying to recruit Harris in the opening minutes of this year’s free agency signing period, along with the Los Angeles Chargers, but it didn’t take long for Harris to make a decision and stay in the AFC West. He recently elaborated on how that process played out.
“They kind of came out of nowhere at the end. It was kind of winding down to the Saints or the Eagles, and they popped up out of nowhere,” Harris said during an appearance on the RapSheet + Friends podcast from Westwood One Sports. “I felt like that would be a great, an even better fit for me.”
While the Chargers are one of the NFL’s most snake-bitten and mismanaged franchises, there’s no underselling how talented their roster is on defense. Harris joins a crew of defensive backs that includes All-Pros like Casey Hayward and Desmond King, as well as highly-drafted prospects in Derwin James (also an All-Pro) and Nasir Adderley. That’s fine company to belong to.
Harris added that several factors played into his decision — not just contract offers, but the vision for his fit in each defense. The Las Vegas Raiders, for example, made it clear that they planned for Lamarcus Joyner to remain their starting nickel corner, so Harris took them off his list. With a number of Saints defensive backs vying for that role (C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Malcolm Jenkins, and Patrick Robinson among them), it’s possible the opportunity to start right away in L.A. convinced Harris to sign with the Chargers.
So it appears that the Saints are running deep in the secondary for now, but their pursuit of Harris should suggest that they aren’t finished making additions just yet. Don’t be shocked if they prioritize a cornerback early in this year’s draft class, or if they make another under-the-radar free agent pickup.
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