When the Atlanta Falcons signed Christian Harris to a one-year deal in free agency, it seemed like he would be the frontrunner to start at linebacker next to Divine Deablo. And early on, we were right in our assessment, as he took the majority of first-team reps at LB2 across OTAs and minicamp and was a spring standout.
However, the more that the summer progresses, the more Harris is at risk of losing his starting job. Just a few months ago, it looked like he was running away with his job, but with each day of training camp that passes, the more that this status is in doubt largely due to a duo of high-upside rookies.
The Falcons have started to stray away from the 25-year-old and have started to look closely at starting Kendal Daniels and Harold Perkins Jr. next to Deablo. They've both started to take on much more first-team reps as the summer went on as the coaching staff has started to trust them more.
Christian Harris is losing his job more and more with each passing day
When the Falcons started auditioning players to replace Kaden Elliss in the starting lineup, it sure seemed like the man they signed to compensate for his inevitable departure would be at the top of the list--and it seemed like a change of scenery in Atlanta would help him re-capture his 2023 form.
However, his starting reps came at a very different point in the offseason. Daniels was sidelined due to a calf injury and Perkins Jr. was a sixth-round pick who hadn't earned any trust yet. Of course the Dirty Birds were choosing to start Christian Harris at LB2 over Channing Tindall and JD Bertrand.
We're at the point in the summer where the Falcons can no longer ignore what their rookies are accomplishing. With each passing day they're taking on more, and Harris hasn't really done much to separate himself from the pair of rookies ever since the end of minicamp almost two months ago.
Kevin Stefanski did say that we would see more rotation among the position battles that are still going on, and that could be the Alabama product's saving grace. It's not like he's in any danger of losing a roster spot, but with each passing day, he's losing his stranglehold on his job more and more,
Based on what he did in the spring, you would've expected Christian Harris to put the nail in the coffin for this position battle. Instead, he's been overshadowed by both Kendal Daniels and Harold Perkins Jr. to the point where winning the experience battle may not be enough for him to keep a starting job.
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