Last year, there wasn’t a bigger disappointment on the Detroit Lions roster than the secondary. Matt Patricia and company made a few bold moves to ensure that Detroit’s pass defense was going to be much improved in 2020. With the right mix of budding, young talent and experienced veterans, Detroit looked—on paper—like they may actually rebound.
At the center of that optimism was veteran safety Duron Harmon, who was brought in via a trade. Mix him with a set of young corners and safeties, and the sky was the limit.
Obviously, that’s not what happened. So why did things go wrong, and will Harmon stick around now that there’s been a complete change in coaching staffs? Let’s take a closer look.
Previous free agent profiles: Danny Amendola, Matt Prater, Jamal Agnew, Everson Griffen
Duron Harmon
Expectations heading into 2020
Despite never having a full-time starting role in his seven-year career, expectations were pretty high for Harmon after the Lions sent a fifth-round pick to New England for him and a seventh in return.
Harmon was viewed as a veteran presence that was best used as a single-high safety, as evidenced by his 10 interceptions in the previous three seasons. His addition, many hoped, would help free up Tracy Walker to use his athleticism wherever it was needed on defense, and perhaps Harmon could even be a sounding board for both Walker and second-year safety Will Harris.
In short, the Harmon trade was viewed as one of the Lions’ best moves this offseason, rounding out what many hoped to be a much stronger secondary than in previous seasons.
Actual role in 2020
16 games (16 starts): 73 tackles, 2 INTs, 5 passes defended
PFF grade: 65.3 (41st of 99 safeties)
Harmon undoubtedly took over a leadership role on the team. Not only was he named one of the team’s six captains despite being a newcomer, but he was also one of the strongest voices in the locker room when it came to their social justice movements prior to the season.
On the field, however, it was a different story. Harmon had a strong start to the season. In fact, halfway through November, he was grading out to be a top-five safety in the league per PFF:
However, just like everyone else in that secondary, not much was working down the stretch. When the good passing offenses came to town—the Packers, Tians and Buccaneers—Detroit had no answer, and Harmon’s play was indecipherable from the rest of Detroit’s struggling secondary.
Perhaps most disappointingly, Harmon’s addition did not do much of anything for the rest of the Lions’ safeties. Tracy Walker looked out of place more than ever, and Will Harris’ struggles were evident—as both were occasionally benched for the other.
Outlook for 2021
Contract status: Unrestricted free agent
With a new coaching staff, it’s unclear if there will be interest in bringing Harmon back for 2021. Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn expressed his excitement in working with the Lions’ secondary, hoping to put them in more comfortable positions than last year. However, Harmon’s name was not mentioned among the bunch.
“Even the two safeties that we have—young players—I get a chance to mold those guys to exactly how I want them to play,” Glenn said.
But the key to whether Harmon sticks around is his fit in the new scheme. And while we can’t be positive what the Lions will be running defensively quite yet, considering the coaches are preaching “players before scheme,” there are certainly some hints about what they’ll do in coverage.
Glenn mentioned that he liked new defensive backs coach Aubrey Pleasant because they come from the same “tribe” of DB scheme: split-safety coverage. In short, split safety coverage simply means that one safety may be operating under one coverage scheme (ie: man-coverage), while the other may be playing a completely different coverage on the same play (cover-3). The idea is to create confusion for the opposing quarterback when trying to make reads. It requires safeties that can both play man and zone, both free and strong.
So what does that mean for Harmon and the Lions? Well, let’s take a closer look at how split safety coverage manifested itself for the Saints. Here’s what Justin Rogers of the Detroit News found from New Orleans’ 2020 defense:
“The Saints, on the other hand, were more zone-heavy with their coverage, playing man just over 36 percent of the time. And while they also ran their fair share of Cover-2 and Cover-3 looks in zone, the Saints most frequently used quarters, or Cover-4, which has four deep defenders.”
It would certainly be an adjustment for Harmon, given that he’s best served in a predictable deep coverage role. However, with New Orleans’ dependence on quarters and cover-2 zone coverage, he may be more comfortable than you’d think. Plus, Harmon’s leadership qualities are undoubtedly going to make an impression on this coaching staff.
That all being said, I think the coaches’ opinion on Tracy Walker may impact their decision on Harmon. At the end of 2020, Walker more or less said that he felt he was being misused alongside Harmon. With Harmon covering the deep middle, Walker was forced to play in the box more often, lining up against tight ends and slot receivers. It did not go well.
“I feel like, yes, I am a better free safety,” Walker said at the end of the year.
If the coaching staff agrees, there may be less need for Harmon this free agency period.
Poll
Should the Lions re-sign Duron Harmon?
- 18%
Yes
(103 votes) - 81%
No
(457 votes)
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February 16, 2021 at 01:30AM
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2021 Detroit Lions free agent profiles: Will Duron Harmon fit in a schematic change? - prideofdetroit.com
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