Safety Anthony Harris Is Considered 'Perfect Match' for Detroit Lions
It is quite clear, according to the Detroit Lions' front office and coaching staff, that the Lions need to retool their secondary in order for the defense to have a chance at success in 2021.
"I just know overall, we need competition in that area," Lions head coach Dan Campbell said. "We need depth in areas, we need competition. I mean, just because for example, we’ve got two young cornerbacks, man, you still want competition. You want guys that they’re having to compete and that are able to push them, or they’re pushing for that starting position. I mean, it’s just, it’s healthy. It makes you better."
With the release of cornerback Desmond Trufant, the Lions only have three cornerbacks under contract for 2021.
Justin Coleman is potentially going to become a salary-cap casualty, which would leave Jeff Okudah and Amani Oruwariye as the only cornerbacks on the roster.
Detroit defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn has to hope that safety Tracy Walker will have a comeback season, working with a new coaching staff.
It is not expected that veteran safety Duron Harmon will return after a disappointing first season in Motown.
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ESPN recently listed perfect free-agent matches for all 32 teams in the NFL.
For Detroit, Minnesota Vikings safety Anthony Harris is considered a solid fit for the Lions' revamped defense.
"The Lions had massive trouble defending the deep parts of the field, and they especially struggled over the deep middle. Anthony Harris can come in and change that quickly," Pro Football Focus NFL writer Seth Galina explained.
He added, "There is some scheme carryover between Mike Zimmer in Minnesota and what Aaron Glenn could bring to Detroit. Harris had the third-highest grade among safeties in 2018 before taking the top spot in 2019 and falling to 38th this past season. Still, there's a lot of upside here; the safety has forced an incompletion on 25.9% of his targets since 2018, first among the 76 safeties who have seen at least 50 targets over that span."
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