The big corner was on the practice squad last season
The Buffalo Bills clearly felt they needed to add size to their defensive secondary this offseason. With only one corner at even 6’ since head coach Sean McDermott and assistant head coach/defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier arrived in 2017, the Bills have struggled against bigger wideouts when compared to smaller, shiftier players.
The team also added athleticism to the group this spring, but the emphasis was clear: The team needed size at corner, and general manager Brandon Beane came through and added it. Some of the additions they’ve made were actually re-signings, as the team began this overhaul last year.
In today’s edition of “90 players in 90 days,” we profile one such corner—a young player with great size and limited experience.
Name: Tim Harris
Number: 29
Position: CB
Height/Weight: 6’1” 205 lbs
Age: 26 (27 on 7/31/2022)
Experience/Draft: 2; selected in the sixth round (No. 198 overall) of the 2019 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers
College: Virginia
Acquired: Signed with Bills on 8/24/2021; re-signed to practice squad on 11/29/2021
Financial situation (per Spotrac): Harris signed a reserve/futures contract with Buffalo in January, a two-year pact worth a total of $1.575 million. For the 2022 season, Harris carries a cap hit of $705,000 if he makes the team, and there is no dead-cap charge for the Bills if they release him.
2021 Recap: Harris was released with an injury designation by the 49ers on August 11 of last year, and he signed with Buffalo two weeks later. He didn’t make the final roster, and he was released as part of final cutdowns. The Cleveland Browns signed him to their practice squad on September 2, and he was elevated for one game—the team’s Week 8 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Harris made two tackles in that game, and he played a total of 13 snaps—two on defense, 11 on special teams. He reverted back to the practice squad after that, and Cleveland released him on November 10. Buffalo re-signed him to their practice squad at the end of November, and he remained there for the rest of the season.
Positional outlook: Harris has a long road ahead of him if he’s going to make the team, as the Bills have a deep, talented secondary. Tre’Davious White, Kaiir Elam, Dane Jackson, Taron Johnson, and Siran Neal are all locks, more or less, for the 53-man roster. Christian Benford, Cam Lewis, Nick McCloud, Olaijah Griffin, Ja’Marcus Ingram, and Travon Fuller all join Harris in trying to sneak on to the back end of the roster.
2022 Offseason: Harris is healthy and he’s participated in all offseason activities to date.
2022 Season outlook: Unless Harris comes out and does something completely unexpected, he will not make the final roster, but it’s quite possible that he remains with the team as a practice squad player. The Bills liked him enough to reacquire him last year after he had left once before, and they signed him to a reserve/futures deal even though they didn’t have to do so. He is a high-end athlete (he ran a 4.45-second 40-yard dash at his Pro Day in 2019), but he had an extensive injury history in college. Combined with limited production around the ball, he seems more like an athlete than a football player, although he’s certainly worth the flier in a defense like Buffalo’s and with a staff that has done so well to put corners in positions to succeed. He’ll be a fun player to watch once the games start in August.