Shelby Harris, NT, Denver Broncos
Contract Signed: 1-year, 3.25 million dollars
Shelby Harris has had a long road to get to the point he is at. A 7th round pick in 2014, he bounced around the league before landing with the Broncos. Even then, he was never a full-time player and his most notable stat was this pick against the Steelers.
The big man, Shelby Harris, with the pick for the win. Leave it to a Harris! pic.twitter.com/w3zAbv9gFO
— Kevin Harris (@KHarris) November 26, 2018
That all changed last year when he finally started full time at NT. He recorded 49 tackles and 6 sacks from the position. Spotrac estimated his value at 12.3 million a year, yet he returned to the Broncos on a prove-it deal for only 3.25 million, a bargain in comparison. Part of the reason is he only had one year of production and he is a late bloomer, as he will be 29 next year.
As well, he is relatively undersized at the position a 6-2 and 289lbs. While light, that was a similar playing weight that Steve McLendon played at, so it isn’t like the Steelers aren’t used to having a player like that. While his lack of production before last year is a concern, it was a risk that would have been worth taking. Harris has shown a tenacity to get after the QB, something the departed Javon Hargrave was elite at.
Considering his market was so soft, the Steelers likely could have gotten Harris on a 2-year deal worth around what he signed for. Why his market was so soft I’m not sure, but he would have been a great option to replace Hargrave next year. His deal likely would have been around 2-years, 7 million dollars and say a 3 million dollar signing bonus. That would make his first-year cap hit around 2.5 million, well within the Steelers price range.