The Lead
If his chase-down tackle of Tyreek Hill was any indication, Shelby Harris may be ready for more action.
In his first game back since returning from the Reserve/COVID list, Harris only played half of the defensive snaps — down from an average of 60 percent in his previous games this season — and still contributed two tackles, one quarterback hit and two passes defensed.
That performance earned him high marks this week from Pro Football Focus, which gave his play a 91.7 rating. In turn, that got him selected for an interior defensive lineman spot on PFF’s Team of the Week.
After missing a month of football, Harris said he appreciated every moment he got on the field.
"I love this stuff," Harris said after the game. "Come on, I've been watching this on TV for four weeks. Just to get back — I'm truly blessed to be able to get back and play football. To have my health — to have everything and go out there and be able to play this game — [it's] so special to just get back on that field with my boys and just ride. Man, it felt so good to get back out there."
The initial plan to manage Harris' reps went well, he said, calling it "the perfect amount." Moving forward, Head Coach Vic Fangio said they'd like ramp up Harris' game action in the weeks to come.
"We'd like to build his snap count up as we go through these next four weeks," Fangio said Monday. "I thought he played well last night. I thought that we managed his reps just about right, and hopefully we'll be able to get him more because he's definitely a guy we like to have in there."
Below the Fold
With just four games left in the season, the Broncos may not be in a position to make the playoffs, but they still can use the remaining games to assess their team and hopefully get some wins. The most important assessments, though, will likely be about the play of quarterback Drew Lock, ESPN’s Jeff Legwold writes. "The question -- for both Lock and the Broncos -- is this," Legwold writes. "How much progress was made, and how much more can Lock make in the 26 days to come?"
