Tag: Will Harris

Will Harris described his injured reserve stint as ‘a long four weeks’

Will Harris played every defensive snap prior to his injury. This week the New Orleans Saints safety makes his return from injured reserve:

For the first time in a month, Tyrann Mathieu and Jordan Howden will be joined by Will Harris, and the New Orleans Saints will have their full compliment of safeties.

It’s been what Harris described as, “A long four weeks.”

Hamstrings have plagued the New Orleans Saints all season long. So much so that New Orleans had to revisit how they begin practice.

Harris was one of many starters to be taken out by the injury. That list includes Marshon Lattimore, Kool-Aid McKinstry and Pete Werner. For the first time since Harris injured his hamstring against the Kansas City Chiefs, the safety will return to the field.

Harris tried to stay as involved as he could during his stint on injured reserve even though he couldn’t get on the field. The safety said, “I try to stay as integral of a piece as possible. I try to incorporate myself in anything I can to help. I’m always around. I try to give them my perspective of what I see.”

At the time that’s all he could do. Prior to the injury, however, Harris was the only defensive player to play every single snap. It’s safe to say he’ll be involved in the defensive game plan next to Mathieu and Howden.

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Saints share some good news on Week 10 injury report update

The New Orleans Saints shared some good news on Week 10’s injury report update ahead of their game with the Atlanta Falcons:

There were two big changes to the New Orleans Saints injury report ahead of Week 10’s game with the Atlanta Falcons. Two starters on injured reserve returned to practice, one of them receiving an upgrade to full reps — safety Will Harris (hamstring). Another, center Erik  McCoy (groin), practiced on a limited basis. McCoy’s return is likely a week away or more but that’s a big step in the right direction.

Other than that, it’s more of the same. Wide receivers Chris Olave (concussion) and Cedrick Wilson Jr. (shoulder) still didn’t participate. Neither did cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry (hamstring) nor left guard Lucas Patrick (ankle). Here’s everything you need to know:

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Saints open practice window for a starter to return from injured reserve

The New Orleans Saints opened the 21-day practice window for starting safety Will Harris to return from injured reserve:

The New Orleans Saints announced Wednesday that they had opened the 21-day practice window for starting safety Will Harris to return from injured reserve, which could be a big boost for the secondary.

Harris went down with a hamstring injury during Week 5’s prime-time loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. To that point in the season the was the only defender to stay on the field for 100% of snaps — more than mainstays like Tyrann Mathieu and Demario Davis.

He  totaled 16 tackles (12 solo, 1 tackle for loss) and an interception with 3 passes defensed, so he was productive. The Saints have struggled to replace Harris between a rotation including Jordan Howden, J.T. Gray, and Johnathan Abram coming up from the practice squad.

Remember, teams can only activate eight players from injured reserve each season. Backup guard/center Shane Lemieux is also practicing during his own window to return, and the team hopes to get back starting center Erik McCoy later this year. But running back Kendre Miller has already come off injured reserve once before going back on it, so the Saints are rapidly running short on activations. Let’s hope the injury bug stops biting soon.

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Injured reserve is a possibility for New Orleans Saints starting safety

Injured reserve is a possibility for Saints starting safety Will Harris. He was the team’s only defender to play 100% of snaps through the first four games:

The New Orleans Saints defense took a hit when starting safety Will Harris went down with a hamstring injury in Monday night’s game with the Kansas City Chiefs, and he missed the next two days of practice recovering from that ailment.

But he isn’t trending in the right direction. On Wednesday, head coach Dennis Allen said that Harris is a candidate for injured reserve because of this hamstring injury. Assuming it isn’t an automatic season-ending diagnosis, he would be eligible to return after four weeks — missing upcoming games with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Denver Broncos, Los Angeles Chargers, and Carolina Panthers. That’s assuming he won’t need surgery and be out longer.

Either way, it was a big loss. Harris was the only player on the team who had been on the field for 100% of the Saints’ snaps on defense through their first four games. That’s more than Demario Davis, Tyrann Mathieu, and other big names like Chase Young, Marshon Lattimore, and Cameron Jordan. They were lucky to have already called up Johnathan Abram from the practice squad so he could fill in.

In the meantime, the Saints are left with Mathieu, Jordan Howden and J.T. Gray on the 53-man roster with Abram and Millard Bradford on the practice squad. Abram can be elevated for two more games before he’ll need to sign with the 53-man roster to keep playing, but they may just sign him now to ensure he’ll be in the lineup. Stay tuned.

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Dennis Allen on playing a practice squad safety over second-year draft pick

When Will Harris suffered an injury, it was Johnathan Abram who took the majority of the snaps next to Tyrann Mathieu, not Jordan Howden:

Johnathan Abram has spent the entirety of the season so far on the New Orleans Saints practice squad. He was a game-day elevation for the first time against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Due to a Will Harris injury, Abram ended up seeing the field for 56 snaps next to Tyrann Mathieu. These are snaps that would have went to Jordan Howden in any other game, but Abram ended with 46 more snaps than Howden Monday night.

Dennis Allen explained the decision on Tuesday, saying, “In that environment, in that situation, I thought he was the right person to put in the game.”

Harris’ injury upped the snap count, but there was an inclination Abram would see the field. Mathieu and Harris are your lead safeties, but Abram seemed prime to usurp Howden for the third safety role.

Howden hasn’t performed great during his time in the game and his snap count fluctuated from game to game. Abram was a player the Saints liked last year, and Allen referenced that Tuesday. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Abram be elevated to the main roster permanently soon.

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Saints safety Will Harris (hamstring) ruled OUT vs. Chiefs

Saints safety Will Harris suffered a hamstring injury in the second quarter and has been ruled out for the rest of the Chiefs game:

The New Orleans Saints have ruled Will Harris out for the rest of the game versus the Kansas City Chiefs. Coming into the game, Harris was the only player on the Saints defense to have played every snap this season. This obviously won’t be the case any longer.

Harris suffered a hamstring injury trying to catch Xavier Worthy after a catch. Harris pulled up and went down on the Chiefs sideline. After staying down for a bit, he was able to get up and walk across the field under his own power.

The Saints brought Jonathan Abram up from the practice squad for this matchup. Since Harris’ injury, it has been Abram who has stepped up in his place instead of Jordan Howden.

There was an expectation that Abram would see the field over Howden. Harris injury expedited his snaps and enlarged his role. Abram started next to Tyrann Mathieu last year so the duo already have chemistry together.

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Taysom Hill officially limited on Week 3 Saints injury report vs. Eagles

The New Orleans Saints have shared their Thursday injury report, adding Will Harris (calf) and A.T. Perry (illness) to the mix. Taysom Hill was officially limited at practice:

The New Orleans Saints have sent out their second injury report leading up to Week 3, which has some positives and some negatives worth noting on it. Multiple players were added to the injury report, with starting safety Will Harris (calf) and wide receiver A.T. Perry (illness) being grouped into the injured list of players.

Khalen Saunders (calf) and Landon Young (foot) both did not practice today as well, as they were not practicing Wednesday either. Cedrick Wilson Jr. (abdomen), Tyrann Mathieu (heel), Taliese Fuaga (back), and Marshon Lattimore (hamstring) all remained limited Thursday, which was mostly expected, as to prevent any aggravation of their current injuries.

For the good news, Jaylan Ford (hamstring) and Rashid Shaheed (hip) both practiced fully as they did Wednesday, which is a good sign for their health heading into Week 3 against the Philadelphia Eagles. Additionally for the linebacker department, D’Marco Jackson (calf) moved from did not practice to limited for Thursday, which is a good sign as he had missed a decent chunk of time with that injury. Finally, Taysom Hill (chest) also improved from did not practice to limited, which is exactly what you want to see, and what Dennis Allen had hoped for heading into Thursday.

Also worth noting on the other side, both A.J. Brown (hamstring) and Johnny Wilson (hamstring) did not practice for the second day in a row. Additionally, former Saints safety Chauncey “C.J.” Gardner-Johnson was added with a foot injury, and did not practice as well.

Here is the full injury report for Thursday’s practice:

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Saints release unofficial depth chart for Week 2 at Cowboys

The Saints released their unofficial depth chart for Week 2’s game with the Cowboys, and there’s one big change from the roster they shared one week ago:

The New Orleans Saints released their unofficial depth chart for Week 2’s road game with the Dallas Cowboys, and there’s one notable change from the initial roster they shared one week ago.

It’s Will Harris starting at strong safety next too Tyrann Matheiu, not Jordan Howden. That lines up with what we saw in their season-opening in over the Carolina Panthers. Harris didn’t just open the game as a starter and intercept Bryce Young on the game’s first play from scrimmage. He was the only Saints defender to stay on the field for every defensive snap.

Beyond that, things are largely the same. The Saints are still using the “or” designation at backup quarterback for Jake Haener and Spencer Rattler, though it was Rattler relegated to the NFL-mandated role as their emergency quarterback in Week 1. After the game head coach Dennis Allen said that role could change from week to week as both young passers compete for the job as QB2.

There’s one other position where the Saints are using the “or” designation. Carl Granderson and Chase Young are listed as co-starters at right defensive end. What’s interesting is we didn’t see that reflected in Week 1. Granderson lined up on the right side for just 11 of his 40 defensive snaps, per Pro Football Focus charting. It was Young dominating snaps on the right side, where he played all 37 snaps. That’s a reversal from last season when Granderson played 846 of his 870 defensive snaps on the right side of the line. Cameron Jordan is the listed starter at the left defensive end spot but he only took 22 of his 27 snaps there.

So this is a good reminder that this is very much an unofficial depth chart for reference purposes, not a set-in-stone pecking order. The Saints will continue to move players around so they can put guys in what they feel is the best position to make a play. Here’s the full thing:

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WATCH: Will Harris intercepts Bryce Young on first defensive play of Week 1

Will Harris started the defense off right, picking off Bryce Young on the first defensive play of the Saints’ regular season:

The New Orleans Saints started off Week 1 right, after a 59-yard touchdown reception by Rashid Shaheed, and then a Will Harris interception on the first defensive play of the regular season. Harris ended up winning the starting safety spot alongside Tyrann Mathieu, beating out second-year player Jordan Howden and another veteran in Johnathan Abram for the position.

This is the first interception by the Saints off of Bryce Young, as the second-year quarterback looks to improve after a somewhat lackluster rookie season. Harris on the other hand is looking to prove his value to the defensive unit, and keep his starting role as Howden will likely be gunning for more snaps in the coming weeks.

Starting off Week 1 on both sides of the ball effectively is a nice sign, as the Saints look to continue their Week 1 winning streak of five games through last season. We will see what the result of the game ends up as, but Will Harris made things much easier for the defense as he gets them off the field very quickly.

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Saints list Jordan Howden as starting safety on unofficial depth chart

If the New Orleans Saints go by their unofficial depth chart, Jordan Howden will start next to Tyrann Mathieu

The strength of the New Orleans Saints is the secondary. The strength of the team has one vacancy and it’s quickly becoming one of the more confusing spots on the team.

Marshon Lattimore and Paulson Adebo are starting at outside corner and Alontae Taylor is in the slot. Kool-Aid McKinstry provides depth at both positions. Tyrann Mathieu is starting at free safety, but who will be next to him?

The preseason would tell you Will Harris. The head coach, Dennis Allen, would tell you that he won’t tell you. The unofficial depth chart would tell you Jordan Howden. Johnathan Abram being called up from the practice squad wouldn’t even surprise me at this point.

Howden is listed as the starting strong safety on the Saints’ unofficial depth chart for Week 1. That’s a surprise because he seemed to be running third in the race for strong safety.

https://twitter.com/RossJacksonNOLA/status/1831037133974585485

Surprises happen, but that’s not the confusing part. Harris is listed as a free safety behind Mathieu. It just doesn’t add up with what we had been seeing alignment-wise.

It’s important to remember it is unofficial. Harris and Howden will likely see time in Week 1 at strong safety. Who gets the start will be noteworthy, but who gets the most snaps will tell the true story.