Tag: duron harmon

Duron Harmon is working hard so his teammates to know they can count on him

During a recent video conference, Lions new safety Duron Harmon explained what he is doing to be a player his teammates can count on.

The Detroit Lions secondary went through a significant overhaul this offseason, yet they appear stronger and deeper as a whole than what was on the field in 2019.

Among the new additions, Duron Harmon — whom the Lions traded with the Patriots for last March — could have the biggest impact in 2020 due to his leadership and scheme knowledge. Harmon played for seven seasons on the Patriots defense and he is expected to be able to smoothly translate into coach Matt Patricia’s scheme.

During a recent video conference with the media, Harmon mentioned that this is a defense that he is very familiar with, but also acknowledged that it has evolved a bit since Patricia left New England.

“So obviously there are some new things I’ll have to learn”, Harmon said. “I’m working as hard as I can to make sure I learn those things. To make sure that when I go out there, people can count on me. To know that I’m always going to know what I’m doing and that I’m going to do my job at a high level.”

While the MIKE linebacker typically gets a lot of the glory as they distribute the defensive play call, the single-high safety spot in Patricia’s scheme acts as the quarterback of the defense, making pre-snap adjustments and re-aligning players in coverage.

Harmon is expected to start at the Lions’ single-high safety spot this year.

One of the reasons the Lions secondary has struggled in the past two seasons is the revolving door at single-high. Glover Quin never seemed comfortable in the role — it’s much different than the free safety spot he played the majority of his career — Quandre Diggs was better suited for the slot than in center field, Tavon Wilson was more successful as a box safety, as was Will Harris, and while Tracy Walker can survive playing deep, he is an absolute weapon as a JOKER.

By being able to deploy an experienced single-high safety in Harmon, the Lions not only shore up the position but it also affords them the opportunity to use Walker more in the JOKER role and Harris as the third safety in the box.

Experience, intelligence, leadership. Harmon is exactly what the Lions need in the secondary.

Michael Jackson adds to the growing list of Bob Quinn trades between the Lions and Patriots

Quinn hasn’t gone more than 10 months without making a trade with his former employer since coming to Detroit in January of 2016

My phone alerted me to an email a little after 4 p.m. on Sunday. I only saw a snippet of the subject in the preview.

“Lions trade CB Michael Jackson”

I didn’t see the rest of the subject or the body, but I knew instantly where Jackson was heading. Recent history dictates that if the Lions are going to make a trade, it’s with the New England Patriots. It’s what they do.

Prior to the Jackson trade, which brings back an undisclosed 2022 draft pick for a player the Lions were cutting, the last trade Detroit made was also with New England. That trade back in March brought safety Duron Harmon and the draft pick that became DL Jashon Cornell to Detroit, in exchange for a draft pick that wound up being traded back to Detroit by the Raiders in a package that became OG Logan Stenberg and RB Jason Huntley.

In June of last year, the Lions dealt TE Michael Roberts to the Patriots. That deal fell through when Roberts couldn’t pass a physical.

While Bob Quinn has made trades with other teams as well in his tenure as the team’s GM since 2016, he definitely has a thing for working deals with his former employer in New England.

May 2016 – The Lions sent a conditional 2017 seventh-round draft pick to New England for LB Jon Bostic. Bostic never played for the Lions so the pick remained with Detroit.

October 2016 – Detroit dealt LB Kyle Van Noy to New England along with a 2017 seventh-round pick in return for a 2017 sixth-round pick. The Lions used that pick on QB Brad Kaaya. New England traded the seventh-round pick in a swap of three picks that produced players who were all out of the league by the end of 2018.

April 2017 – A draft-day trade resulted in the Lions sending their third-round pick to the Patriots for a third-rounder and a fourth-rounder. Detroit’s acquired third-round pick became WR Kenny Golladay. The fourth-rounder was used to select LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin. The Patriots traded up to draft OT Antonio Garcia, who never made an NFL roster, not even as a third-round rookie.

Interestingly enough, the Patriots had acquired the pick Detroit used on Golladay from the Browns in a trade for … now-Lions LB Jamie Collins.

September 2017 – The Lions traded CB Johnson Bademosi to New England for a 2019 sixth-round pick. That pick got packaged by the Lions as part of a deal (with Minnesota) to move up in the 2019 draft and select S Will Harris in the third round. Talk about delayed gratification…

April 2018 – During the draft, the Lions dealt a second-round and fourth-round pick to New England to move up and select RB Kerryon Johnson earlier in the second round. New England traded away both the acquired picks, one to Chicago (WR Anthony Miller) and the other to Tampa Bay (S Jordan Whitehead). The Patriots have also since traded the player they draft with the pick they acquired from Tampa Bay, CB Duke Dawson.

April 2018 – Another draft-day deal saw the Lions send a 2019 third-round pick to New England for the Patriots’ fourth-round pick in 2018. The Lions drafted DE Da’Shawn Hand. As is their custom, the Patriots traded away the acquired pick for three other picks, of which they traded two and selected RB Damien Harris with the third.

That’s eight total trades between Quinn and the Patriots since March of 2016. Interestingly enough the Lions have come out net winners on all but one of them.

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5 reasons why Duron Harmon reminds me of Glover Quin

Exploring five reasons why Detroit Lions’ current safety Duron Harmon reminds me of former Lions’ safety Glover Quin.

One of the Detroit Lions’ most intriguing offseason additions was safety Duron Harmon — acquired via trade with the New England Patriots for a fifth-round draft pick.

Harmon is a single high free safety who has a knack for getting his hands on the football and creating turnovers. He’s a savvy veteran who is a great guy in the locker room and in the community. The more I think about Duron Harmon, the more he reminds me of another former Lions’ safety: Glover Quin.

Both players came to the Detroit Lions after being with another organization for the early part of their career and they are similar in stature/playstyle. I believe Harmon will have a similar impact for the Lions and will help the team win on and off the field.

Steady veteran

When Quin played in Detroit, he worked closely with young players like Darius Slay, Quandre Diggs, and Tracy Walker, always teaching while also making plays on the field. Quin was always the steady veteran presence, not only for other defensive backs but for everyone else in the locker room as well.

It appears Harmon could be that same type of experienced veteran player with the Lions in 2020. He will have the opportunity to teach players like Walker, Jeff Okudah, and Will Harris in several aspects of the game. Every good team needs a few steady veterans that can also still play and Harmon can fill that role.

Ballhawk

Quin had 19 interceptions over his six seasons in the Motor City and in 2014, his second season with the team, he had seven interceptions in that year alone. He became a true ballhawk while wearing Honolulu Blue.

Harmon has similar numbers. He was a takeaway specialist while with the New England Patriots recording 17 interceptions in his seven seasons in Foxboro. As Harmon playing time increased the past few years, he really became that true ballhawk with 10 interceptions in the past three years. The Lions will be hoping he continues that trend.

On-field coach

The value of an on-field coach can’t be downplayed. You need those types of guys, especially when they play a deep safety role. The single-high safeties positioning allows a player to be that on-field coach, as they can see and direct the entire defense. Both Quin and Harmon are detailed in the film room and that lets them bring that on the field to help others.

Leadership

Quin was a team captain, well respected across the league, and his legend grew as he produced on the field. Teammates looked to “GQ”, as he was often, called for guidance and leadership in the toughest of moments.

I see Harmon a similar type of guy. A leader on and off the field, as well as someone that you can turn to when all the chips are down, knowing that he has your back. From what I have seen so far, he seems to be a very accountable stand-up guy which are traits that helped propel Quin in the eyes of his fellow players and coaches.

Media friendly

One thing I loved about Quin was his willingness to work with the media, often talking for double the length of time as others. I think he did this for both himself and the team. Quin was always willing to express his opinions on football and any other topics thrown his way.

Quin was loved by the media and based on the virtual media sessions Harmon has done this offseason, he is quickly gaining respect. Recently, he spoke genuinely about racism, social justice, and other aspects of his life. They may have different styles, but both players have very media-friendly personalities.

In summary, both players are free safeties known for their interceptions, locker room leaders, and are willing to give the media some great quotes during the year. Hopefully, the greatest similarity will be that Harmon will help lead the Lions back to a similar level of success on defense as Quin did while he was in a Lions uniform.

Watch: Duron Harmon discusses thoughts, experiences with racism and social injustice

Detroit Lions safety Duron Harmon joined local media via a virtual press conference, where he shared his thoughts and experiences on racism and social injustice.

On Friday, Detroit Lions safety Duron Harmon joined local media via a virtual press conference, where he shared his thoughts and experiences with racism and social injustice.

For nearly 30-minutes Harmon spoke open and honestly about his experiences with racism, the current events happening across the country in the wake of the death of George Floyd and the ensuing protests.

He acknowledged that now was an appropriate time to take a break from football and credited coach Matt Patricia for allowing the team to voice their frustrations in team meetings.

Harmon called Floyd’s death “heartbreaking” and how it was easy to picture himself, father, cousins, or sons in the exact same scenario. He would go on to share several of his first-hand accounts of racism, including both interactions with police and during typical everyday life activities.

Additionally, Harmon discussed how the death of Ahmaud Arbery (Lions safety Tracy Walker’s cousin) hit the team on a different level, as well as how challenging it was to explain what was happening in the world to his eight-year-old son.

Harmon would go on to discuss the importance of “being a part of something bigger”, using his platform to bring injustices to light, and why it’s important to “allocate time” and resources to these topics moving forward.

You can view the entire press conference in the video below. Please watch. Please listen.

Establishing the 53: Projecting the Lions’ DBs

Examining the Detroit Lions defensive backs and project who and how many players they will keep on the 53-man roster.

It’s never too early to examine and speculate about the Detroit Lions roster. Currently, the Lions have 90-players on their roster, and come September, there will likely be some difficult decisions to make when determining their final 53-players.

Previously, in this series of articles at Lions Wire, we rounded out the running backs group, declared a winner in the fullback versus H-back competition, added an offensive weapon, narrowed down the offensive line,  broke down the defensive line, established the top options at linebacker, and in this piece, we will project the Lions’ defensive backs — with 11 spots open on the 53-man roster.

Setting the table

While there are clearly defined starting roles on defense, the defensive backs are grouped together as their positional reserve roles do have some crossover, especially on special teams.

On defense, the Lions deploy five defensive backs in their base set, relying on two outside corners, a JOKER safety, a free safety, with the slot role alternating between a nickel corner or third safety. When they expand to six defensive backs, they typically keep both slot options on the field at the same time. The Lions also have defensive sets that use seven defensive backs in obvious passing situations.

Because of all defensive combinations and the frequency at which they deploy three corners and/or three safeties, it’s important to identify all six players as starters — even if they are not officially identified as such.

Identifying starters at corner

At corner, there has been a two-thirds overhaul among the starters with only Justin Coleman returning. Coleman has the potential to play both inside and out, but he takes roughly 75-percent of his snaps out of the slot.

The Lions were aggressive in landing free agent Desmond Trufant, and after seven years starting for the Falcons, it is assumed he will take a starting role on the outside. Trufant will turn 29-years-old when the season starts and the Lions are likely hoping he can hold down the CB1 role while their top 2020 draft pick acclimates to the league.

Jeff Okudah was drafted third overall for a reason and even general manager Bob Quinn has acknowledged that he is expecting him to start in 2020. Okudah has the talent level to win the CB1 job outright, or make claim to the role by the end of the season.

Erik’s take: Okudah, Trufant, and Coleman are clear Day 1 starters.

CB depth battle

After the trio above, the next notable name at corner is Amani Oruwariye. Oruwariye flashed skills in training camp, showed development throughout the year and should be considered the top reserve option. He is an outside corner only — and that’s probably not changing — but there is a need for a reliable third option at this spot.

Challenging Oruwariye on the outside will be Darryl Roberts — a two-year starter with the Jets — and third-year undrafted corner Mike Ford. Both players have plenty of speed and can contribute on multiple special teams units. Roberts has the experience edge, while Ford has shown the ability to step up when his number was called for the Lions in the past.

The options in the slot are not as strong with special teamers Jamal Agnew and free agent Tony McRae challenging to backup Coleman. The need here isn’t as pressing due to the third safety, but the Lions would benefit from at least one of these players stepping up their ability to play on defense.

Erik’s take: Lock Oruwariye in here based on upside alone, but beyond that, special teams will likely be the deciding factor.

Identifying starters at safety

Tracy Walker’s star is shining brighter with every passing day and he plays one of the most critical spots in the Lions’ scheme: the JOKER safety role. The JOKER is the most flexible player on the field, and Walker will split his time between the box (linebacker level), over the slot (covering tight ends, slot receivers, and running backs), and at deep safety.

Walker is reliable as a deep safety valve, but he can be most impactful when he lines up closer to the line of scrimmage — which is why the Lions traded for Duron Harmon.

Harmon will take over the single-high free safety role and will be the first natural centerfielder the Lions have had since Glover Quin. His experience — and success — in the scheme makes him an instant starter, and his ability to flex between positions will allow him and Walker to disguise coverage intentions.

The battle for the third safety role (the old Tavon Wilson role) will come down to second-year safety Will Harris and free agent acquisition Jayron Kearse.

Harris was drafted in the third round of the 2019 draft with the intention of developing him into this role. Last year he cross-trained at all three safety spots but was noticeably more successful when lining up over the slot and in the box. He should be the front runner for the job, but Kearse’s skill set offers a new range of skills. Kearse is big (6-4, 216), long (34.25″ arm length), and can cover, which will make him very appealing when the Lions want to play matchup football.

Erik’s take: Walker and Harmon are locked in starters, while Harris should get the early nod for the third-safety role based on his scheme experience.

Safety depth battle

Kearse should be an easy addition to the trio above, giving them four players they should feel comfortable putting on the field.

Beyond those four, the group is rounded out with four undrafted players: C.J. Moore in 2019 and three more added this offseason in Jalen Elliott, Jeremiah Dinson, and Bobby Price.

If the Lions keep a fifth safety, which one will likely come down to how they perform on special teams.

Erik’s take: Kearse is in. A fifth safety is still an option. 

Special teams battles

With 11 spots open for defensive backs, we have filled eight of them with four corners and four safeties — leaving three spots remaining.

After being benched in Week 2, Agnew bounced back in a big way, scoring touchdowns on both a punt and kick returns, the only player to do that in the NFL last season. He will be challenged by fifth-round pick, Jason Huntley — who had five kick return touchdowns in college — but Agnew has been a weapon on special teams and, at this time, should be expected to secure a spot on the 53.

That leaves the Lions with two spots remaining — and no gunners.

When the Lions signed McRae, I specifically broke down how that impacted the gunner competition. To summarize my conclusion, McRae’s relationship with new special teams coordinator Brayden Coombs should give him a leg up for one of the gunner roles, leaving Dee Virgin, Moore, and Ford battling it out for the final spot. Roberts — who wasn’t on the roster when I wrote the article — should also be in consideration here. Elliott, Dinson, and Price will also get a shot in camp but until I see them compete in person I can’t consider them options.

Based on the information available to me at this time, the final gunner role will likely come down to Virgin, Moore, Ford, and Roberts. Any of these four could make a push for a spot, but Virgin and Moore — the Lions’ starting gunners last year — lack Roberts and Ford’s ability to contribute on defense, which could be a difference-maker.

Erik’s take: The final three spots go to Agnew, McRae, and Ford for now, but all of their roles are in jeopardy come training camp.

Conclusion

In this projection, the Lions wrap up their defense with 11 players, who will play in the following roles:

  • Outside corners: Okudah, Trufant, Oruwariye, Ford
  • Nickel/dime corners: Coleman, Agnew, McRae
  • Position versatile safeties: Walker, Harmon, Harris, Kearse
  • Kick/punt returner: Agnew
  • Gunner: McRae, Ford
  • 4-phase special teams contributors: Kearse, Harris

How Logan Ryan, Duron Harmon ‘finessed’ the Patriots ahead of 2013 NFL Draft

“We looked up to you so much, we finessed the Patriots.”

Two core members of the New England Patriots’ secondary in the past decade were Logan Ryan and Duron Harmon. Ryan spent four seasons with the team and Harmon spent seven — collecting two and three Super Bowl rings, respectively.

Both players were drafted in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft and it wasn’t by coincidence. Ryan shared an intriguing story of how both players ‘finessed’ their way onto the team while joining Devin and Jason McCourty’s ‘Double Coverage’ podcast.

Keeping in mind, Devin was drafted out of Rutgers in 2010 — the same school Ryan and Harmon came out of.

“Here’s the crazy thing, Dev,” Ryan said, transcribed by NESN’s Zack Cox. “Me and Du, seeing your process — you and Jay — we looked up to you so much, we finessed the Patriots. … After I saw (Devin’s) pro day, me and Du were doing the pro day workout in the weight room like two-a-days. You know me, I’m a worker. So after we would lift in the summer, we would go back to the weight room at 6, 7 at night and we would do the pro day workout — all year.

“So we were doing them drills all year, and then the Patriots held a private workout for all the Rutgers guys. They worked out, like, 15 players. They picked, like, seven of us. So they had this private workout. I called Dev, and I’m like, ‘Yo, what drills do y’all do in your warmup?’ So I knew the Patriots’ warmup drills.

“Me and Du were practicing these drills all week, so when Bill comes, I’m like, shirt off, eight pack, catching the ball one-handed, sprinting back. I’m in great shape. I know all the drills. Like, ‘Oh yeah, I know that drill.’ ‘You ever do it before?’ ‘Nah, I never did it.’ Do the drill with my eyes closed. I was just working straight off what Dev would tell me. ‘Oh, Dev, what’s it like? What’s this? What’s that? What do they like to see?’”

The Patriots picked Ryan with the No. 83 pick and Harmon with the No. 91 pick that draft — while taking two more Rutgers players that year.

“Me and Du both get drafted in the third round,” Ryan said. “We go up there, and the rest is history. But we were working those drills for a year, man, and it paid off. … (Devin) really told us all the little cheats to how to become a Patriot, because we were doing those things nonstop. And when Bill saw it, he must have been impressed, because he took about half of us from that workout.”

Ryan recorded 13 interceptions with the Patriots before heading off in free agency to join the Tennessee Titans. Harmon totaled 17 interceptions in his time with the team before getting traded to the Detroit Lions this offseason.

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Tracking the Lions’ well-traveled, oft-traded 5th-round pick

The pick was traded for itself twice

It’s not uncommon for Day 3 draft picks to get traded. Nearly 40 percent of the picks made in Rounds 4-7 were traded at some point from 2016-2019. But in the case of the Detroit Lions fifth-round pick, it’s been quite a journey.

The Lions acquired the No. 172 overall pick from the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for Quandre Diggs. That trade went down during the 2019 season. Detroit then dealt the pick to New England in the trade to acquire safety Duron Harmon.

Effectively, the Lions traded the compensation for Quandre Diggs to replace Diggs in the secondary. But that’s not the end of the road for No. 172…

New England shipped the pick to Las Vegas in a Friday night trade with the Raiders as part of a large swap involving five total picks. The Raiders sent that hot potato right back where it started on Saturday, including 172 as one of the two picks in the deal to acquire Detroit’s 4th round selection at No. 109 overall.

The Lions finally used the pick on Saturday, selecting New Mexico State RB Jason Huntley.

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Lions targeting players who can contribute with minimal offseason training

With an abbreviated offseason training program on the horizon, the Detroit Lions are targeting players who can contribute within conditions.

With an abbreviated offseason training program on the horizon, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Detroit Lions have made a few minor adjustments to their approach to acquiring talent.

Knowing that there will be no Spring camps and likely a shortened training camp in late summer — if it happens at all — general manager Bob Quinn said during his pre-draft press conference with the Detroit media, that the Lions are targeting players who can contribute immediately without needing much of an offseason training program.

This concept was applied in free agency when the Lions traded with the New England Patriots for Duron Harmon and continued when they signed linebacker Jamie Collins and nose tackle Danny Shelton in free agency.

Because of their time spent with the Patriots, all three players have extensive experience playing in the Lions scheme and are familiar with the important terminology needed in order to contribute without much formal guidance.

This concept will also likely carry over to the 2020 NFL Draft and it wouldn’t be at all surprising to see the Lions invest in prospects whom they coached at the Senior Bowl, as those players have also been exposed to some of the basic concepts in the Lions scheme.

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This could also influence decision-making when the Lions are debating between talent in the draft, potentially leaning towards players with a higher floor, or that operated in a college scheme close to the Lions. Prospects who played defense at Alabama, Michigan, Ohio State, Arkansas — among others — could have an advantage over smaller school talent.

While targeting players who can contribute early will likely play a factor in decision-making, it’s important to acknowledge it’s only part of the overall process. When asked about a player dealing with an injury, Quinn made sure to note that he is looking for the best player available, both now and/or in the future.

One group of players that are surely going to be impacted is the undrafted free agent pool as they will have less time to impress coaches and learn the system.

The Lions currently have 78 players on their active roster and nine draft picks leaving them with only three available spots for additional players.

Therefore, when determining the importance of adding an undrafted free agent, Quinn will have to weigh their value versus a player on the active roster because after the three empty spots are filled, he will have to cut a veteran in order to make room.

By the end of the draft, the Lions will have several young players added to their 90-man roster, and with the fourth most draft capital to work with, there will be a lot of new talent — even if that means fewer players than in a typical year.

Lions make heavy investment in special teams during free agency

Despite losing, and not replacing, a punter in free agency, the Detroit Lions have made a heavy investment in their special teams coverage and blocking units.

After moving on from 2019 special teams coordinator John Bonamego, the Lions made a strong move towards improving their special teams by hiring up-and-comer Brayden Coombs (formerly of the Cincinnati Bengals) to take over the coordinator position.

Coombs spent the last decade learning under Bengals coordinator Darrin Simmons and was part of Football Outsiders #1 DVOA special teams unit in 2019.

But the addition of Coombs was just the beginning. When the Lions hit the free agency market, they made a heavy investment in their special teams coverage and blocking units.

Snap Counts

In 2019, the Lions had around 470 plays on special teams. That works out to about 5,170 snaps spread out over the roster throughout the year. If we remove extra point and field goal attempts, as well as the offensive/defensive linemen, long snapper and kicker snaps, that leaves roughly 3,221 snaps for coverage and blocking units.

Of those 3,221 snaps, the Lions return 24 players and 2,792 of those snaps. Lost in free agency were just 409 snaps, from Logan Thomas (176), Tavon Wilson (120), J.D. McKissic (79), Paul Perkins (29), and Devon Kennard (14).

While not all of the Lions’ offseason signings (or returning players) will make the 2020 roster, they have invested in nine players who contributed on 953 special teams snaps last season including Jayron Kearse (226), Tony McRae (181), Elijah Lee (198), Geremy Davis (97), Darryl Roberts (85), Jamie Collins (76), Geronimo Allison (45), Reggie Ragland (26), Duron Harmon (19).

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That’s an increase of four players and 524 snaps from 2019 special teams units — and this isn’t factoring in the players who will be added via the Lions draft class.

Last season the Lions got special teams contributions from eight rookies that accounted for 817 special teams coverage/blocking snaps. Those snaps came from C.J Moore (292), Will Harris (178), Ty Johnson (118), Isaac Nauta (82), Amani Oruwariye (69), Jahlani Tavai (41), Travis Fulgham (25), and Anthony Pittman (12).

If the Lions can get a similar level of contributions from this year’s rookie class, as well as the additional 524 from this year’s free agents, the Lions will have over 1300 additional snaps to play with when making decisions on their 53-man roster.

Bottom line

As always, players who can contribute on special teams will round out the 2020 roster, and with roughly 25-percent more snap experience than they will need, the Lions will be able to pick from the best of what will assuredly be a fierce training camp competition.

Think of it as being able to pick the best dozen apples from the orchard rather than buying a three-pound bag from the grocery store and hoping none of them are bruised or rotten.

A lot of the recent signings in free agency haven’t been flashy, but the Lions are setting themselves up to put an improved special teams unit on the field. Considering how often special teams can be an intricate part in determining success during a game, its low key moves like this that can pay dividends in December.

What Bill Belichick said to Duron Harmon about trade to Lions

Duron Harmon details his conversation with Bill Belichick before being traded.

Former New England Patriots safety Duron Harmon will play his first NFL season outside of Foxborough in 2020.

Harmon spent seven seasons in New England and was traded to the Detroit Lions when free agency began. While appearing on the ‘Double Coverage Podcast’, hosted by Jason and Devin McCourty, Harmon revealed what Belichick said about the trade.

“At the end of the day you have to look at it from both sides,” Harmon said, transcribed by WEEI. “At the time, at the moment you hear you got traded and you’re like, ‘Aww, man.’ But, then you sit back and look at it and the Patriots had to make some decisions. We had the opportunity to play last year with so many great defensive players. It was so many players everywhere, and just with the salary cap I understand the decision. When I talked to Bill (Belichick) he told me what the decision was based on and he told me, ‘Look, it is just at the point where we have to make some moves and we just paid Dev, it’s just going to be really tough to really do anything, or get anything done in free agency if we don’t do this.’

“And he was just telling me it’s going to be a great opportunity for me (in Detroit). I respect that because at the end of the day we know Bill is going to do what is best for the team and I respect that because not a lot of people can do that and have that commitment and dedication that the team is first.”

The Patriots received a seventh and fifth-round pick in the trade, while also saving around $4.5 million against the salary cap. Harmon is now paired up with former Patriots defensive coordinator, Matt Patricia, who spent four seasons coaching and guiding Harmon.

New England lost Harmon and Nate Ebner, while signing Adrian Phillips and Cody Davis as replacements at the safety position. The Patriots still have Devin McCourty, Patrick Chung and Terrence Brooks from last season.

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