4 recent departures the Minnesota Vikings will miss most in 2021
By Dean Jones
Anthony Harris – S
It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that Anthony Harris had checked out on the field long before the Vikings took the decision not to bring him back in free agency. He played the 2020 season on the franchise tag after an outstanding campaign that saw him emerge as one of the highest-graded players at the safety position by Pro Football Focus, but he never reached these heights again.
Minnesota’s defense overall underperformed, so Harris was not alone in that regard.
Harris wasn’t offered the long-term deal he was after as a result of his regression and eventually signed a one-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Quite the fall from grace for Harris. But it’s a little too soon to be writing him off just yet, providing he uses last season’s disappointment as a source of motivation.
The Vikings could end up missing Harris if he returns to the form of old in Philadelphia and free-agent signing Xavier Woods doesn’t reach expectations following his arrival from the Dallas Cowboys.
He will need to raise his game considerably, judging by what we saw from the player last season, and if the new signing can’t make the most out of an opportunity alongside Harrison Smith, it might have some big ramifications both for Woods and the Vikings.
There was no way Harris was sticking around. But the Vikings could end up regretting this move in the long run.