When Chuck Harris began the week, he was a veteran on a 3-8 team that was stuck in the basement of the NFC South and unlikely to escape.
Now he’s on a contender.
The Eagles were awarded Harris off waivers on Tuesday after he was released by the Panthers the day before. And the 29-year-old didn’t seem too broken up about the situation.
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When asked for his reaction to getting released, Harris smiled wide, pointed at that smile and said, “Like this.”
What’s different in Philly?
“The morale, across the board,” Harris said on Wednesday. “That’s not me talking bad on any other team or program or organization. But when you get somewhere where winning is a part of the culture, it rubs off on you and you’re ready to win too.”
Harris said he didn’t know a ton about the Eagles before landing in Philly other than one important thing.
NFL
“Shoot, the only thing I need to know if playoff potential,” Harris said.
Well, the Eagles definitely have that. They have rattled off seven straight wins since the bye week and have a 9-2 record, sitting atop the NFC East, heading into this weekend.
But they needed help at edge rusher.
The Eagles claimed Harris in the wake of Brandon Graham’s season-ending triceps tear, which came a week after they already put Bryce Huff on IR following wrist surgery. The Eagles needed to bolster the edge position so they claimed Harris and also signed K.J. Henry to the practice squad.
Harris was at practice on Wednesday, wearing a No. 95 jersey. His mission this week is a pretty simple one: Cram the playbook.
“That’s really what it is,” Harris said. ‘Try to find similarities, use puzzle words, do whatever you can, acronyms, kind of memorize everything. That’s what we do in this profession. You never know. You gotta be able to switch up, gotta be able to adjust and move on the fly.”
In Carolina, Harris had played in 9 games with 6 starts and had 21 tackles, 3 sacks and 7 quarterback hits. The No. 22 pick from the 2017 draft has played for four different teams in his career and has 19 1/2 career sacks. His best season came with Detroit in 2021, when he had 65 tackles and 7 1/2 sacks.
In Philly, Harris will be a part of the rotation behind Josh Sweat, Nolan Smith and rookie Jalyx Hunt. But because of the pure numbers, Harris will probably need to play a role and soon.
What can he bring?
“Shoot, I don’t want to take away from anything the team’s already been doing,” he said. “I feel like I’m the perfect fit. Get off the ball and get after the quarterback. Be physical against the run. I’m trying to be everything this team possibly needs. Be utilized at a high level.”
Harris might need to play a role on Sunday in Baltimore with less than a week of prep time. But a new defense is easier to learn as an edge rusher than some other positions like linebacker or safety.
Edge rushers typically all do the same thing: Get after the quarterback, set the edge, stop the run.
“It’s really just memorizing the playbook,” Harris said. “I know the coaches have my best interest, obviously, as respect us as players. I wouldn’t be out there not knowing anything and be a detriment. So it’s one of them things, I’ve just got to get caught up to speed, get my practice reps in, get an understanding and a feel for guys beside me. Understand the other guys, how they like to rush, how they like to play in the run game. That’s really all it’s about. Really get caught up to speed.”
Because he has been in the league for eight seasons, Harris has had crossover with a few players in the Eagles locker room. But earlier this season, he became close with fellow edge rusher Tarron Jackson.
Jackson, an Eagles 2021 sixth-round pick, is also back in Philly on the practice squad after spending time in Carolina, where he was teammates Harris. Harris said the two formed a “genuine friendship” together with the Panthers.
“It feels great to be reunited,” Harris said. “Actually, when he got to Carolina, he was talking about this place before. So when I got here, I was like, ‘Wow, I see what you’re saying.’”
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