Shelby Harris (born August 11, 1991) is an American professional football defensive tackle for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Illinois State and was selected in the seventh round of the 2014 NFL draft by the Oakland Raiders, where he spent his first two seasons. After not making a final roster in 2016, Harris played his next five seasons with the Denver Broncos. Harris was traded to the Seahawks in 2022.

Shelby Harris
refer to caption
Harris with the Denver Broncos in 2017
No. 93 – Cleveland Browns
Position:Defensive tackle
Personal information
Born: (1991-08-11) August 11, 1991 (age 33)
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:288 lb (131 kg)
Career information
High school:Homestead
(Mequon, Wisconsin)
College:Wisconsin (2009)
Illinois State (2010–2012)
NFL draft:2014 / round: 7 / pick: 235
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status:Active
Career NFL statistics as of 2023
Total tackles:289
Sacks:26.0
Forced fumbles:4
Interceptions:1
Stats at Pro Football Reference

College career

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Harris initially went to the University of Wisconsin to play for the Badgers. After redshirting his freshman year, he transferred to Illinois State. In 2010, he was named to the Missouri Valley Football Conference all-newcomer team. In 2012, he started all thirteen games as the Redbirds reached the FCS national quarterfinals, and he was named to the all-MVFC first-team. But before the 2013 season, he was dismissed from the Redbirds for conduct detrimental to the team.[1]

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 1+34 in
(1.87 m)
288 lb
(131 kg)
34+58 in
(0.88 m)
9+12 in
(0.24 m)
4.88 s 1.68 s 2.78 s 4.57 s 7.52 s 32.0 in
(0.81 m)
9 ft 2 in
(2.79 m)
25 reps
All values from Pro Day[2][3]

Oakland Raiders

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Harris with the Raiders in 2014

Harris was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the seventh round of the 2014 NFL draft with the 235th overall pick.[4] On May 20, 2014, he signed his contract with the Raiders. On September 18, 2014, Harris was waived. On September 20, 2014, he was signed to the Raiders' practice squad. On December 24, 2014, he was elevated to the active roster. On September 5, 2015, he was waived. On September 9, 2015, Harris was re-signed to the practice squad. On October 24, 2015, he was elevated to the active roster. On October 31, 2015, he was waived again. On November 3, 2015, Harris was re-signed to the practice squad. On November 19, 2015, he was elevated to the active roster again. On May 16, 2016, Harris was released by the Raiders.

New York Jets

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On June 1, 2016, Harris was signed by the New York Jets. On August 28, 2016, he was waived by the Jets.[5]

Dallas Cowboys

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On December 22, 2016, Harris was signed to the Dallas Cowboys' practice squad.[6] He was released on January 10, 2017.[7]

Denver Broncos

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On January 25, 2017, Harris signed a reserve/future contract with the Denver Broncos.[8] On September 11, 2017, on Monday Night Football Harris saved the game for the Broncos with a late-game block of a field goal by Los Angeles Chargers rookie Younghoe Koo.[9] Harris went on to have the most productive season of his career, recording 34 tackles, 3 passes defended, and 5.5 sacks, the last of which was good for second on the team behind teammate Von Miller.

On November 25, 2018, Harris recorded his first career interception. Harris intercepted Ben Roethlisberger in the endzone to prevent a would-be game-tying touchdown and seal an upset win for the Broncos.

On March 7, 2019, the Broncos placed a second-round restricted free agent tender on Harris.[10] In week 11 against the Minnesota Vikings, Harris sacked Kirk Cousins 3 times, one of which was a strip sack which was recovered by teammate A.J. Johnson in the 27–23 loss.[11] In the final game of the season against the Oakland Raiders, he preserved the Broncos' 16–15 victory by knocking down Derek Carr's pass on what would have been the game-winning two-point conversion.[12]

On April 2, 2020, the Broncos re-signed Harris to a one-year, $3.25 million contract.[13] He was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list by the team on November 4, 2020,[14] and activated on December 2.[15] On December 31, 2020, Harris was placed on injured reserve.[16] He started 11 games in 2020, recording 32 tackles, 2.5 sacks, one forced fumble, and seven pass deflections, which tied for the league lead for defensive lineman.

On March 15, 2021, Harris signed a three-year, $27 million contract extension with the Broncos.[17]

Seattle Seahawks

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On March 16, 2022, Harris was traded to the Seattle Seahawks along with two first-round picks, two second-round picks, a fifth-round pick, quarterback Drew Lock, and tight end Noah Fant in exchange for quarterback Russell Wilson and a fourth-round pick.[18] He started 14 games in 2022, recording 44 tackles, two sacks, and four passes defensed.

On March 14, 2023, Harris was released by the Seahawks.[19]

Cleveland Browns

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On August 10, 2023, Harris signed with the Cleveland Browns.[20] He played in 17 games with seven starts, recording 28 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and five passes defensed.

On March 14, 2024, Harris signed a one-year contract extension with the Browns.[21]

NFL career statistics

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Legend
Bold Career high

Regular season

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Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL PD Int Yds Avg Lng TD FF FR Yds TD
2014 OAK 1 0 2 1 1 0.0 0 0 0 0 0
2015 OAK 7 0 12 9 3 1.0 1 0 0 0 0
2017 DEN 16 6 34 22 12 5.5 7 3 0 0 0
2018 DEN 16 0 39 23 16 1.5 8 4 1 0 0.0 0 0 0 0
2019 DEN 16 16 49 28 21 6.0 8 9 0 1 0
2020 DEN 11 11 32 20 12 2.5 4 7 0 1 0
2021 DEN 16 16 49 24 25 6.0 7 2 0 1 0
2022 SEA 15 15 44 24 20 2.0 5 4 0 0 0
2023 CLE 17 7 28 17 11 1.5 6 5 0 1 0
Career 115 71 289 168 121 26.0 46 34 1 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0

Postseason

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Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL PD Int Yds Avg Lng TD FF FR Yds TD
2022 SEA 1 1 3 3 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0
2023 CLE 1 1 2 1 1 0.0 0 0 0 0 0
Career 2 2 5 4 1 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Media appearances

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Harris was featured on WNYC's podcast "Death, Sex and Money" on September 5, 2020, with host Anna Sale. On the show, Harris revealed what it's like to be an NFL player during the COVID-19 pandemic and what it's like to be a Black man in America during the Black Lives Matter movement.

References

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  1. ^ "Illinois State dismisses DT Harris". Chicago Tribune. March 4, 2013. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
  2. ^ "Shelby Harris 2014 NFL Draft Profile". ESPN. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  3. ^ "Shelby Harris, Illinois State, DE, 2014 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  4. ^ "2014 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  5. ^ Allen, Eric (August 28, 2016). "Jets Release 11, Place Devin Smith on PUP List". NewYorkJets.com. Archived from the original on September 4, 2017.
  6. ^ Bouda, Nate (December 22, 2016). "Cowboys Sign DT Shelby Harris To Practice Squad". NFLTradeRumors.co. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
  7. ^ Bouda, Nate (January 10, 2017). "Cowboys Release DT Shelby Harris From Practice Squad, Sign DE Lenny Jones". NFLTradeRumors.co. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
  8. ^ Jhabvala, Nicki (January 25, 2017). "Broncos sign DL Shelby Harris to reserve/future contract". DenverPost.com.
  9. ^ DiLalla, Aric (September 12, 2017). "After earning his way, Shelby Harris makes play on national stage". DenverBroncos.com. Archived from the original on May 25, 2018.
  10. ^ "Broncos have placed a second round tender on Shelby Harris". MileHighReport.com. March 7, 2019.
  11. ^ "Vikings overcome 20-0 deficit at half to beat Broncos 27-23". ESPN. November 17, 2019. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
  12. ^ "WATCH: Broncos' Shelby Harris deflects 2-point attempt to seal win over Raiders". DenverPost.com. December 29, 2019.
  13. ^ DiLalla, Aric (April 2, 2020). "Broncos re-sign DL Shelby Harris". DenverBroncos.com.
  14. ^ DiLalla, Aric (November 4, 2020). "Broncos place DE Shelby Harris on Reserve/COVID-19 list". DenverBroncos.com. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  15. ^ DiLalla, Aric (December 2, 2020). "Broncos claim S Will Parks off waivers, place CB Bryce Callahan on IR, activate DE Shelby Harris from Reserve/COVID-19 list". DenverBroncos.com. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  16. ^ DiLalla, Aric (December 31, 2020). "Broncos place Shelby Harris on IR, activate Jake Butt from IR". DenverBroncos.com. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
  17. ^ Shook, Nick (March 15, 2021). "Broncos keep DL Shelby Harris on three-year, $27 million deal, add CB Ronald Darby". NFL.com.
  18. ^ Boyle, John (March 16, 2022). "End Of An Era: Seahawks Trade Russell Wilson To Denver Broncos". Seahawks.com. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  19. ^ Boyle, John (March 14, 2023). "Seahawks Released Shelby Harris & Quinton Jefferson". Seahawks.com.
  20. ^ "Browns sign DT Shelby Harris". ClevelandBrowns.com. August 10, 2023. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
  21. ^ "Browns re-sign DT Shelby Harris". ClevelandBrowns.com. March 14, 2024.
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