It’s going to be tough for the #49ers to include LB Marcell Harris in their final roster cuts.
Making the 49ers roster wasn’t going to be easy for Marcell Harris when he was lining up as a strong safety. His play at that position since being taken by San Francisco in the sixth round of the 2018 draft hasn’t been great, and roster spots at safety were going to be scarce. Harris was moved to linebacker this offseason though and could be carving out a role for himself there.
Defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans, a former NFL linebacker himself, discussed Harris’ growth at a position he only just started learning. Ryans has been pleased with the progress of the converted safety.
“Marcell has grown,” Ryans told reporters after Thursday’s practice. “I think every day Marcell has grown and he’s becoming better at having a really good feel of playing at that second level at the linebacker spot. It seemed like a play he made yesterday, just him feeling the D-Line and playing off of the D-Line. I see him developing and transitioning into being able to help us there at that linebacker spot. So, Marcell, like I said before, he’s a playmaker, wherever he is on the field, you know he’s going to always be around the ball. He’s going to find a way to get the ball out. And I’m just excited with his growth process at the linebacker position.”
It’s not a lock that Harris will make the roster at his new position, but there are a number of reasons he could stick around. Not only is he growing into his role as a linebacker, but he offers positional versatility and special teams contributions.
Should he make the club, he’d give the 49ers a good playmaker on the second level who’s athletic enough to run with receivers and running backs in the middle of the field, but he’d also be able to slide back to safety in a pinch. Special teams coach Richard Hightower also praised Harris as one of the team’s top special teams players.
“I think when you take a look at a guy like Marcell Harris, I think over the years Marcell has proven himself,” Hightower told reporters in a press conference after Thursday’s practice. “Guys can see that on tape. So yeah for sure, he’s one of the top guys. He’s always been one of the good players here. He makes a lot of tackles. He commands a lot of double teams and he quite honestly breaks through those double teams and still makes tackles. So, Marcell has been a good contributor for us and that was a hell of a draft choice that they drafted Marcell because he’s come in and done everything that we expected him to do and more. So, I’ve been real pleased with Marcell.”
It would be an unconventional path to the roster for Harris, but he offers enough that it makes sense for the 49ers to keep him. If he continues progressing as a linebacker, he may even find himself back next year in the mix for a starting job.
