New England Patriots Receive High Grade for Duron Harmon Signing
By Nick Ziegler
The New England Patriots recently re-signed one of the key players on their defense. What grade did they receive for the signing of Duron Harmon?
It has been a busy offseason for the New England Patriots as expected. After winning the Super Bowl just over one month ago, they had plenty of important free agents this offseason.
On defense, one of the key free agents for the Patriots was safety, Duron Harmon. Harmon was another example of how well the Patriots have been drafting. As a third round pick, Harmon has been a very important part of the Patriots’ defense as their nickel safety.
Even though he isn’t a starter, Harmon plays quite a bit for the Patriots. Bill Belichick and Matt Patricia like to utilize their nickel defense, and Harmon plays a big role in that.
The Patriots signed Harmon to a four-year, $20 million deal, as they obviously value him. Having Harmon back is important for the Patriots, as it allows them to use Devin McCourty and Patrick Chung in different roles.
Pro Football Focus recently graded the signing of Harmon for the Patriots. The Patriots received a grade of an A for re-signing Harmon. Here’s what Sam Monson of PFF had to say about Harmon.
"Duron Harmon is one of the few players that has the ability to play the deep-lying, single-high free safety role to a very high level, and while he has never been a starter for the Patriots, he has been their nickel safety and a big part of their defense. There are holes to his game, and he has missed over 15 percent of his tackle attempts over his career, but his skill-set is valuable to a defense."
Re-signing Harmon for $5 million per season is a pretty good deal for the Patriots. He was a really good player against the pass and provides the Patriots will some important versatility on defense.
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The Patriots still have some holes to fill on their defense. However, signing Harmon was certainly an important thing for the Patriots to do this offseason.