Broncos cornerback Chris Harris returns to game action for the first time since Jan. 12 when he tore his left ACL against the Chargers. ( Joe Amon, The Denver Post)
Chris Harris oozes confidence. He turned his torn left ACL into a challenge. Could he come back as quickly as Adrian Peterson? Harris returns Sunday night just eight months after his injury against the Chargers in the playoffs.
He will barely recognize the players around him. The Broncos’ defense features a healthy Von Miller and free agent additions DeMarcus Ware, safety T.J. Ward and fellow cornerback Aqib Talib.
“This is DB heaven for me right now, as long as all our D-Lineman stay healthy and continue to bring that rush. I’m excited for D-Ware and Von to get after them,” Harris said. “We know (Colts QB) Andrew Luck is a guy that likes to step up in the pocket, so we need huge games from our D-tackles to be able to push up the front and get in his face. Luck doesn’t really fade out or run out when he sees the rush on the outside. He likes to step up, so we’ve got to be ready for that.”
It bears watching how defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio employs Harris. Will he be used inside or outside? And if he’s in the base packages will he be spelled in nickel by Kayvon Webster or first-round pick Bradley Roby? It would not be a surprise if Harris is on a play count, though that’s not something the Broncos would or should reveal.
“I love it out there (on the outside). I feel great out there. It’s a lot easier for me because I have the sideline to help me. But I’ll be inside every once in a while, we’ll figure it out,” Harris said. “I feel like we did a pretty good job last year (against the Colts). We just had some breakdowns in our defense in the red zone. I think we eliminated explosive passes last year, and the only thing that really killed us was once we got to the red zone, we had busted coverages. They capitalized off our mistakes. As long as we stay tight and everybody does their assignment, we should be fine.”
