A year after being one of the assets the Seahawks acquired in the Russell Wilson trade, Shelby Harris is on track to become a cap casualty. The Seahawks are moving on from the veteran defensive lineman, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets.
The team is trying to find a trade partner for Harris, per Garafolo, but thus far has not located one. Absent a trade, Harris will be released. The longtime Broncos starter moved into a starting D-tackle role in Seattle last season.
Harris, 31, worked as a Denver regular for five seasons. The 2020 campaign prompted the Broncos to give him a three-year, $27M deal to stay; the team did so despite hiring a new GM (George Paton) weeks prior to that transaction. Paton valued the John Elway-era find, but the Seahawks sought him in the Wilson trade.
Last season, Harris registered just two sacks — his lowest total since 2018 — and six quarterback hits. That said, Pro Football Focus still viewed the former seventh-round pick as a top interior D-lineman. PFF graded Harris 17th overall among D-tackles in 2022. It should be expected Harris will land another gig fairly soon. Should Dre’Mont Jones leave Denver for a big-ticket free-agency accord, Harris returning would make sense. He played under Vance Joseph for two seasons, emerging as a key player and one of the NFL’s top pass-deflecting performers up front.
Seattle is retooling up front. It is not known yet if the team is re-signing Poona Ford, but he is a free agent. Moving on from Harris and Ford would signal an overhaul for the Seahawks inside. Ford started 16 games last season.
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