Erik Harris (born April 2, 1990) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

free safety Safety is a position in gridiron football on the defense. The safeties are defensive backs who line up ten to fifteen yards from the line of scrimmage. There are two variations of the position: the free safety and the strong safety. Their du ...

for the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcon ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the majo ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football in the United States, American football rules first gained populari ...

at California (PA). He has also been a member of the

Hamilton Tiger-Cats The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a professional Canadian football team based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Tim Hortons Fie ...

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a c ...

(CFL) and the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

. Harris is known for playing many positions, including free and strong safety, halfback (which has an entirely different meaning than the American football halfback),

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such offensive running plays as sweeps and reverses. They create tur ...

weakside linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, pla ...

and

strong-side linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, pla ...

Early life and college

Harris was born in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

. When Harris was two months old, his parents separated and he moved to

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was ...

with his mother. Harris and his mother moved to Pennsylvania when he was in the fifth grade. He attended New Oxford High School in

New Oxford, Pennsylvania New Oxford is a borough in Adams County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,868 at the 2020 census. Geography New Oxford is located at (39.863208, -77.056475). According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has ...

. He attended

California University of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Western University, California (commonly known as PennWest California) is a public university campus in California, Pennsylvania and one of three campuses of Pennsylvania Western University, part of the Pennsylvania State System of ...

, playing safety for the Division II California Vulcans football team. In four college seasons, he made 231

tackles Tackle may refer to: * In football: ** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football ** Tackle (gridiron football position), a position in American football and Canadian football ** Dump tackle, a forceful move in rugby of picking u ...

on defense. He was a First-team All-

Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. The conference was originally formed in 1951 as the State Teachers ...

(All-PSAC) selection in 2010. He was a Second-team All-PSAC selection in 2011.

Professional career

Harris was rated the 90th best strong safety in the

2012 NFL Draft The 2012 NFL draft was the 77th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players for their rosters. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held ...

by NFLDraftScout.com. Harris was not drafted.

Hamilton Tiger-Cats

Harris was signed by the

on April 11, 2013. He played in 45 games for Hamilton, making 79 defensive tackles and 27 special teams tackles. He caught a touchdown on offense and recorded three interceptions.

New Orleans Saints

2016 season

On February 2, 2016, the

signed Harris to a reserve/future contract after a recommendation by

Delvin Breaux Delvin Lionel Breaux (born October 25, 1989) is a former American professional gridiron football cornerback who played in the Canadian Football League (CFL) and National Football League (NFL). He attended McDonogh 35 High School in New Orleans, ...

, who had played with him while on the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Harris agreed to a three-year, $1.62 million contract. Joel Erickson of '' The Advocate'' noted that Harris was a CFL linebacker but that he had the ability to play as an NFL defensive back. After former Saints safety

Rafael Bush Rafael Bush (born May 12, 1987) is a former American football safety who played nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at South Carolina State and was signed by the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free ag ...

signed with the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at For ...

, New Orleans announced that Harris would play safety. On October 10, 2016, Harris sustained a torn ACL during practice and was placed on the injured reserve list October 13, 2016. He finished his rookie campaign with one solo tackle in four games.

2017 season

Throughout training camp, Harris competed to be the starting free safety against Vonn Bell and

after the role was left vacant by the departure of

Jairus Byrd Jairus Keelon Byrd (born October 7, 1986) is a former American football free safety. He played college football for the University of Oregon. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He is a three-time Pro Bo ...

. On September 2, 2017, the New Orleans Saints waived Harris.

Oakland / Las Vegas Raiders

2017 season

On September 5, 2017, the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Ra ...

signed Harris to a one-year, $630,000 contract. Harris was initially signed to provide depth after rookie

Obi Melifonwu Henry-William Obiajulu Melifonwu (born April 5, 1994) is an American football safety who is a free agent. He played college football at UConn. He was selected in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft by the Oakland Raiders. Early years Henry ...

was placed on injured-reserve. Head coach Jack Del Rio named Harris the primary backup free safety, behind Karl Joseph, to start the 2017 regular season. Harris appeared in 15 games in 2017, primarily on special teams, and finished the season with five combined tackles (four solo). On December 31, 2017, the Oakland Raiders fired head coach Jack Del Rio after they finished the season with a 6-10 record.

2018 season

Harris entered training camp as a backup safety and competed to be a primary backup against Obi Melifonwu,

Marcus Gilchrist Marcus Tyler Gilchrist (born December 8, 1988) is a former American football safety. He played college football at Clemson. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft and also had stints with the New Yor ...

Shalom Luani Shalom Luani (born August 5, 1994) is an American football safety for the New Jersey Generals of the United States Football League (USFL). He is better known worldwide for his soccer career, having scored against Tonga in American Samoa's first ...

, Dallin Leavitt and

Tevin Mitchel Tevin Mitchel (born August 3, 1992) is a former American football cornerback. He was drafted by the Washington Redskins in the sixth round of the 2015 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Arkansas. Professional career W ...

. Head coach

Jon Gruden Jon David Gruden (born August 17, 1963) is a former American professional football coach who was a head coach in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons. He held his first head coaching position with the Raiders franchise during thei ...

names Harris the primary backup strong safety, behind Karl Joseph, to begin the

2018 NFL season The 2018 NFL season was the 99th season of the National Football League (NFL) and the 53rd of the Super Bowl era. The season began on September 6, 2018, with the NFL Kickoff Game with defending Super Bowl LII champion Philadelphia defeating ...

. On October 28, 2018, Harris earned his first career start and recorded a season-high six solo tackles during a 42-28 loss against the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...

. In Week 14, he collected a season-high eight combined tackles (four solo) as the Raiders defeated the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

24-21. On December 16, 2018, Harris recorded three solo tackles, deflected two passes, and made his first career interception during a 30-16 loss at the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The club's home ...

. Harris made his first career interception off a pass by Bengals' quarterback

Jeff Driskel Jeffrey Adam Driskel (born April 23, 1993) is an American football quarterback for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Florida, before transferring to Louisiana Tech, and was drafted by the San ...

, that was originally intended for John Ross. Harris made 49 combined tackles (36 solo), seven pass deflections, and two interceptions in 16 games and four starts.

2019 season

On March 8, 2019, the Oakland Raiders signed Harris to a two-year, $5 million contract that includes $1.07 million guaranteed. Harris entered training camp slated as a backup safety after the Raiders drafted Johnathan Abram in the first round. Head coach Jon Gruden retained Harris as the primary backup strong safety, behind Karl Joseph, to start the season. Harris became the starting free safety in Week 2 after Johnathan Abram was placed on injured-reserve after tearing his

rotator cuff The rotator cuff is a group of muscles and their tendons that act to stabilize the human shoulder and allow for its extensive range of motion. Of the seven scapulohumeral muscles, four make up the rotator cuff. The four muscles are the supraspi ...

during the Raiders' season-opening 24–16 victory against the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...

. In Week 2, Harris earned his first career start and recorded two solo tackles during a 28–10 loss against the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The t ...

. On September 29, 2019, Harris made seven combined tackles (six solo), a pass deflection, and returned his first career interception for a touchdown during a 31–24 win at the

. Harris intercepted a pass attempt by

Jacoby Brissett Jacoby Jajuan Brissett (born December 11, 1992) is an American football quarterback for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). Following a college football stint with Florida, he played at NC State and was selected in the t ...

, that was intended for wide receiver Zach Pascal, and returned it for a 30-yard touchdown during the fourth quarter. On November 7, 2019, Harris made one tackle and intercepted two passes by Chargers' quarterback

Philip Rivers Philip Michael Rivers (born December 8, 1981) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons, primarily with the Chargers franchise. He played college football at NC State and was se ...

during a 26–24 victory against the

Los Angeles Chargers The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division, and ...

Thursday Night Football ''Thursday Night Football'' (often abbreviated as ''TNF'') is the branding used for broadcasts of National Football League (NFL) games that broadcast primarily on Thursday nights. Most of the games kick off at 8:15 Eastern Time (8:20 prior to 2 ...

. Harris intercepted a pass that was intended for tight end

Hunter Henry Hunter Henry (born December 7, 1994) is an American football tight end for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Arkansas and was selected by the San Diego Chargers in the second round of t ...

for a 56-yard touchdown during the first quarter. He finished the

2019 NFL season The 2019 NFL season was the 100th season of the National Football League (NFL) and the 54th of the Super Bowl era. The season began on September 5, 2019, with the NFL Kickoff Game, in which Green Bay defeated Chicago. The season conclude ...

with 68 combined tackles (59 solo), eight pass deflections, three interceptions, and two touchdowns in 16 games and 14 starts.

2020 season

Harris was placed on the reserve/

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quick ...

list by the Raiders on December 21, 2020, and activated on January 1, 2021.

Atlanta Falcons

On March 19, 2021, Harris signed a one-year contract with the

. He entered the 2021 season as the Falcons starting free safety. He suffered a torn pectoral in Week 14 and was placed on season-ending injured reserve. He finished the season with 64 tackles and eight passes defensed through 12 starts. On March 25, 2022, Harris re-signed with the Falcons on a one-year contract.

Personal life

Harris is married to Theresa Harris, whom he met in New Oxford High School. He has 4 children: Ellis, Esme, and twin sons, Isaiah and Elijah, who were born in the summer of 2013.

References

External links

Just Sports StatsNFL Draft ScoutHamilton Tiger-Cats profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, Erik Living people 1990 births People from Adams County, Pennsylvania Players of American football from Pennsylvania Players of American football from Los Angeles American football defensive backs Canadian football defensive backs American players of Canadian football California Vulcans football players Hamilton Tiger-Cats players Atlanta Falcons players New Orleans Saints players Las Vegas Raiders players Oakland Raiders players Players of Canadian football from Los Angeles