The New Orleans Saints and the NFL are growing ever closer to the offseason, with the playoffs only having a few weeks remaining before the Super Bowl. With that, the Saints have certainly started looking ahead at their own free agents and who to retain, so we shall as well.
One of the interesting free agents to discuss this offseason for New Orleans is safety Will Harris, who was a relatively strong contributor for the team in his age 29 season. After a midseason stint on injured reserve due to a hamstring injury, he was able to come back and wrap up the season on a relatively high note and honestly was valuable for the Saints defense.
So with that in mind, let’s take a look at his career so far:
Career Stats
Over the course of his career, Will Harris has been somewhat up and down in his play. In 2023 with the Detroit Lions he only got a little bit of playing time, accruing 18 tackles, 1 TFL, 2 pass deflections and a fumble recovery.
His most productive season however was likely in 2021 where he had a relatively strong performance overall with good statistical value. He had 93 tackles, 4 pass deflections, a forced fumble and a half of a sack, however, his coverage statistics were not as good, with a 73.4% completion rate allowed on 79 targets, giving up 732 yards and 5 touchdowns. Statistically he is very split between coverage and tackling, his coverage has never been spectacular but his tackling has been strong.
Snap Counts
Here are Harris’ defensive snap counts for the games he played in over the course of his career:
- 2019 – 58% (667)
- 2020 – 28% (312)
- 2021 – 89% (1012)
- 2022 – 66% (660)
- 2023 – 18% (192)
- 2024 – 94% (861)
2024 season review
2024 was actually one of the better years in coverage for Harris, only giving up a 65.9% completion rate (the best of his career since 2020) on 29 receptions, with 336 yards and no touchdowns allowed. This is primarily because he was playing lower in coverage, typically near the box, with an average depth of target of only 6.9 yards (lowest of his career).
He produced well, and while he was by no means perfect, he was a quality safety in 2024 for the Saints.
Stay or go?
When it comes to Harris, he should likely not be your undisputed safety next to Tyrann Mathieu heading into 2025, however if he was kept as a depth option or as competition for a rookie, that would not be all that bad of an idea.
He worked well in the system the Saints had built, both pre and post Dennis Allen, so having him around to coach up a rookie or young signing would by no means be a bad choice. I say the Saints should bring him back on another one year deal if possible for similar value, and let him be another cog in the secondary.
