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The safety group has been annotated as a potential weak spot heading into the offseason and needing serious upgrades. The only addition the Lions made was the signing of Dean Marlowe to help out, but he is not the type of player that would instantly upgrade the position. It left many unsatisfied and begging the Lions to do more, but it seemed they were quite content with players they already had in the house.
With little additions coming into Detroit, the tandem of Tracy Walker and Will Harris will be looked on to cover the deep area of the field once again. It was a lot to be desired for most, especially since these two were part of a defense that got torched for 419 yards per game last season, good for dead last in the league.
The jettison of the old regime and the injection of a player’s mentality coaching styles has done absolute wonders for the players. T.J. Hockenson recently said it is a complete 180 from years past. Even newcomer Jerry Jacobs mentioned that players who were part of the last regime said it was a completely different atmosphere.
Will Harris has had a rough go in the NFL so far after being drafted in the third round in 2019, looking out of place in the Patricia system. The physical tools are there —at 6-foot-1 and 207 pounds has the build for safety — but he hasn’t been able to put it all together for some reason.
Fortunately for Harris, he has embraced the new regime. Like his fellow teammates, he has seen his comfort level rise, giving him newfound confidence. Everyone involved has seen a massive step forward from the third-year safety.
General manager Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell took on a joint press conference, and each of them spoke on the massive improvements Will Harris has made so far.
Brad Holmes:
“Will Harris, I’ll say the acceleration of his development, how quickly it’s gotten to in terms of knowing him when he came out of B.C. (Boston College) and then seeing him early on. You’ve got to be really, really excited about that.”
Dan Campbell:
“Will and Amani may have had two of the best camps of anybody on our roster, as a matter of fact.”
It is great to see the front office and coaching staff sing the praises of Harris specifically, but actions speak louder than words. With Harris’s history, most will keep their expectations in check and wait to see how he performs when the balls start flying.
On the flip side, we could overlook how much Harris might have improved with the new coaching staff giving a boost of confidence and putting him in better positions to succeed. Harris will be a player to keep your eye on through the season and see if he is a whole new player than what we have seen.
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