Throughout the summer, much was made of the Washington Commanders’ decision to let explosive safety Jeremy Chinn go for the Las Vegas Raiders in free agency and replace him with Will Harris. It appears that the most recent purchase has also heard the talk.
When training camp began, the veteran defensive back wasted no time in trying to quell some growing doubts.
Chinn immediately became a fan favorite in Washington. He was quick, instinctive, and explosive, contributing significantly to the Commanders’ spectacular rise in their first season under head coach Dan Quinn. That didn’t matter to general manager Adam Peters, who refused to pay what the Raiders were proposing.
Will Harris turned heads with his impressive performance on Day 1 of Commanders training camp
Washington acted quickly to sign Harris. He’s a quality player who has a previous relationship with assistant general manager Lance Newmark from their time together on the Detroit Lions. However, fans were skeptical that the former third-round pick from Boston College could have the same impact on the back end as Chinn.
On the first day of training camp, Harris set about thoroughly establishing himself. He began alongside Quan Martin in the starting lineup, as was expected. But, according to Lynnell Willingham of 106.7 The Fan, those inside the building have a much higher opinion of the player than fans do right now.
“Who will start at the safety place opposite Quan Martin? Will Harris had the first pass at it, and I thought he was fantastic. There was one play in which he broke on the ball against the first-team offense, and you could see his quickness and football intelligence. After practice, I spoke with coach [Jason] Simmons, who enthused about Will Harris and the physicality he adds to this defense.”
It’s early days, and others will have opportunities to shine. Nonetheless, all signs lean to Harris playing with Martin when Washington faces the New York Giants in Week 1. Harris has the coaches’ trust.
He has NFL production experience, but based on his average performances with the New Orleans Saints in 2024, he will need to improve. Tyler Owens, Percy Butler, and Jeremy Reaves should keep him on edge. This will also sharpen everyone before the competitive action begins.
The Commanders’ defense cannot afford any weak links if they want to dethrone the Philadelphia Eagles. If Harris can fill the void left by Chinn, Joe Whitt Jr.’s defensive prospects will improve significantly.
And he is off to a wonderful start.
Leave a Reply