Bottom Line: Charles Harris needs to produce in 2019
The Miami Dolphins 2017 1st Round pick Defensive End Charles Harris is entering his third season in the NFL. And because he has shown so little, this preseason could make or break his Phins career.
Which will it be? Make or break? At the moment, ‘break’ seems more likely than ‘make’…
… But there is still time for Charles Harris to get his career on track.
Since he was Miami’s top pick in 2017, expectations have been high. Unfortunately, even average play would be a big step forward. So far his career has only produced 3 total sacks. And now with a new regime and Wake, Quinn, and Branch off of the team, there’s no one left for Harris to hide behind. It’s time for the training wheels to come off. Either Harris can put on the big boy pants or not
Charle Harris, for better or worse, is front and center and under the microscope.
Brian Flores is giving Harris every opportunity to earn the starting spot at Defensive End. But, if Harris doesn’t pick up his game fast, bookmaker software providers like www.AcePerHead.com bet Harris could lose that starting spot… and maybe even more.
In the first preseason game, Harris had 38 snaps, which shows this coaching staff truly wants to see what he can do. This is the feel-good part.
The cold reality is Harris didn’t play very well in the preseason opener. He graded out a poor PFF grade 54.7 with only one tackle. For a player who is desperate to validate his lofty draft status (or even a roster spot), this isn’t the type of start Harris needs… and Flores is looking for.
To make matters worse and more complicated, other Defensive Ends showed more bite in the first preseason game.
Dwayne Hendrix who played 27 snaps on Thursday and Jonathan Ledbetter who played 30 snaps had far more impact than Harris. Sure, Harris was going up against better competition compared to Hendrix and Ledbetter. But the fact is they made the most of the opportunities they were given. Harris, on the other hand, didn’t.
Hendrix provided 2 sacks but was a bit shaky in the run game. Ledbetter provided a sack as well, had a few hurries, and was a solid force in the running game. Ledbetter had the third-highest grade of Miami’s defensive players with an 89.9 behind only veterans Akeem Spence and Xavien Howard.
Defensive End Ledbetter is making waves every chance he gets
Ledbetter is definitely an intriguing prospect and was a force for Georgia last year and ranked 4th best among FBS interior Defensive players in stopping the run. This is the type of player Flores loves and is perfect for this scheme.
To add even more competition, there’s DE Jonathan Woodard who is liked by the staff and DE / LB Nat Orchard who flashed with his pop off the ball.
Flores will likely give Hendrix and Ledbetter more playing time with the starting unit over the next 2 preseason games to see if they can produce against better competition. If Harris continues to be a none factor, and Ledbetter or Hendrix perform against 1st stringers, maybe it’s time for Miami to move Harris out of the starting lineup. Or, sad but wise, if they can get any value for him in a trade, move on from him entirely.
What are the rest of the Miami Dolphins news fans thoughts about Harris?
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