Charles Harris had the best season of his career with the Detroit Lions last fall, and both sides were eager to run it back in 2022.
The Lions and Harris agreed to a new two-year, $14 million contract Tuesday, NFL Network reported, taking one of the best remaining pass rushers off the free agent market.
Harris led the Lions with a career-high 7.5 sacks last season and was one of the team’s best front-seven run defenders. A first-round pick by the Miami Dolphins in 2017, he had 6.5 sacks in his first four NFL seasons combined.
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“I don’t know why it didn’t click for him in the previous four, five years, ’cause the kid I got showed up (and played well from the first day of) training camp,” Lions linebackers coach Kelvin Sheppard said at the Senior Bowl. “It didn’t surprise me. Like the things that the whole world was seeing, I saw that since the Day 1 of training camp cause he bought in and he plays his butt off every single play.”
Harris is expected to have a key role as an edge defender in the Lions’ revamped defense this fall.
The Lions, who are moving to more of an even-front defense, plan to release defensive end Trey Flowers on Wednesday in a move that will create more than $10 million in cap space. They return Romeo Okwara, Julian Okwara and Austin Bryant as their other top edge defenders and are expected to look heavily at pass rushers with the No. 2 pick in the draft.
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Romeo Okwara, who led the Lions with 10 sacks in 2020, is returning from a ruptured Achilles tendon. Edge rushers Aidan Hutchinson of Michigan, Kayvon Thibodeaux of Oregon, Jermaine Johnson of Florida State and Travon Walker of Georgia are potential top-10 draft picks.
With Harris back in the fold, the Lions, coming off a 3-13-1 season, have re-signed or agreed to terms with their top three defensive free agents and should have nine of their top 11 starters back in 2022.
On Monday, Alex Anzalone signed a one-year extension to stay in Detroit and the Lions agreed to terms on a new three-year deal for safety Tracy Walker.
They have seven remaining unrestricted free agents, though none is a priority to re-sign: Defensive lineman Nick Williams, linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin, safety Dean Marlowe, return man Kalif Raymond, receiver KhaDarel Hodge and injured offensive lineman Tyrell Crosby and defensive linemen Joel Heath.
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.