Damon Harrison: League’s Best Run Defender Worth the Cap Hit
By Neal Lynch
Earlier, we pointed out how Ben Stockwell of Pro Football Focus ranked the New York Giants signing Los Angeles Rams free agent cornerback Janoris Jenkins as the most puzzling move on day 1 of NFL free agency. On that same list, Stockwell included the Giants acquiring New York Jets defensive tackle Damon Harrison as the 5th most puzzling agreement. But, why?
From PFF:
"“Harrison is the league’s best run defender — we awarded him our inaugural Ted Washington Award back in January — but the Giants have paid him like the three-down impact defensive lineman that he has never been. Harrison’s $9 million per year average places him along side Tyrone Crawford of the Cowboys and while Harrison is a markedly better run defender his value on passing downs is far more limited. In a league that is becoming ever more pass-oriented the Giants have paid premium money for a run defense specialist.”"
In a separate article, Stockwell gave the Giants a “C” for writing:
"“Harrison is the league’s most destructive run defender up front. He shuts down the A-gaps as an option for teams to run through. With a healthy Johnathan Hankins, who played very well in 2014, the Giants will boast one of the most fearsome and physical defensive tackle pairings in the entire NFL. Harrison had the best season of his four-year career as a pass-rusher in 2015, but still only registered 14 pressures. This contract is extremely steep for a player who is unlikely to see the field on third down, let alone be a force.”"
WalterFootball ranked Harrison as the third best free agent D-tackle behind Muhammad Wilkerson, who the Jets franchise tagged, and Malik Jackson, who signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars for six years, $90 million. The other two potential targets for the Giants were Ian Williams, who re-signed with the San Francisco 49ers, and Jaye Howard, who re-signed with the Kansas City Chiefs. Who else is there? Nick Fairley?
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From WalterFootball.com:
"“Damon ‘Snacks’ Harrison is one of the top run-stuffers in the NFL. He doesn’t get much pressure on the quarterback, but that’s not what he’s asked to do.”"
So, the biggest criticism is the Giants have overpaid for a 2-down run-stopper. Well, he’s not just a run-stopper, he’s the league’s best run defender and was the fourth highest-graded unrestricted free agent behind Alshon Jeffery (franchise tagged by the Chicago Bears), Von Miller (franchise tagged by Denver Broncos), and Olivier Vernon (the last of the Giants big day 1 free agent signings), meaning Harrison was the top free agent defensive tackle.
Under his previous contract with the Jets, Harrison had a true value rating of 86.71, which was good enough for 7th highest in the league at his position. Only Jaye Howard had a higher rating among UFAs. Both Howard and Williams were on the field more, as Harrison only played ~52% of his unit’s snaps. Neither Howard nor Williams were big pass rushers, though Howard did reel off 5.5 last season.
Let’s take a look at the details of Harrison’s contract:
2016
BASE SALARY: $1,750,000
SIGNING BONUS: $1,600,000
ROSTER BONUS: $3,000,000
WORKOUT BONUS: $250,000
SALARY CAP HIT: $6,600,000
DEAD CAP: $9,000,000
Damon is the 6th biggest cap hit to the Giants in 2016, but will be the third biggest cap hit by Jenkins and Vernon for the next four seasons.
2017
BASE SALARY: $8,750,000
SIGNING BONUS: $1,600,000
ROSTER BONUS: –
WORKOUT BONUS: $250,000
SALARY CAP HIT: $10,600,000
DEAD CAP: $13,650,000
2018
BASE SALARY: $7,750,000
SIGNING BONUS: $1,600,000
ROSTER BONUS: –
WORKOUT BONUS: $250,000
SALARY CAP HIT: $9,600,000
DEAD CAP: $4,800,000
The dead cap figure drops to $1.6 million if the Giants release Harrison after June 1st.
2019
BASE SALARY: $6,750,000
SIGNING BONUS: $1,600,000
ROSTER BONUS: –
WORKOUT BONUS: $250,000
SALARY CAP HIT: $8,600,000
DEAD CAP: $3,200,000
2020
BASE SALARY: $9,000,000
SIGNING BONUS: $1,600,000
ROSTER BONUS: –
WORKOUT BONUS: $250,000
SALARY CAP HIT: $10,850,000
DEAD CAP: $1,600,000
There’s no doubt the Giants paid more than market value for each of their big free agents signings, but that’s what free agency is all about: Who is willing to pay more to get the talent they absolutely need? Other than Johnathan Hankins, the Giants are thin on the defensive interior. Enter Damon Harrison. The Giants were among the league worst in passing yards allowed in 2015. Enter Janoris Jenkins. Big Blue blew when it came to sacks. Enter Olivier Vernon and welcome back Jason Pierre-Paul. If you have the money to secure fixes for what ails you, then why not?
What’s the alternative? If the Giants don’t pay for Vernon, Jenkins, and Harrison, where would they be right now? They’d be scrambling. Instead, they’re the favorites to win the NFC East. Heads up, here comes the Snacks Tank.