Yesterday the New England Patriots signed Free Agent Linebacker David Harris to a two year deal worth 5 million dollars.
If the name sounds familiar it is because he has been playing the Patriots twice a year for the past ten years as a member of the AFC East rival New York Jets. Harris may not be the biggest household name, but to anyone who follows football, they would know that Harris is the kind of player that any team would want. He has been selected to one all-pro team in 2009, and has led the New York Jets in 9 of his 10 seasons. He has logged a 100 plus tackles in 6 of his 10 seasons and from 2012 to 2015 he had over a 100 tackles each year.
The move is a good one for the Patriots as they lack depth at linebacker. Dont’a Hightower is among the league’s best and Rob Ninkovich has been a steady force since he got here, but with Ninkovich bouncing around between linebacker and defensive end, Hightower is the only mainstay at linebacker. Jonathan Freeny has flashed the ability to be a starter, but has had trouble staying on the field and could be in jeopardy of losing his job and Elandon Roberts was a pleasant surprise last year and looks to grow as a player, but if anything were to happen to Hightower, it would be wise to have a solid veteran option in David Harris to take control and steer the ship.
