Much was made throughout the offseason about the Washington Commanders letting dynamic safety Jeremy Chinn walk to the Las Vegas Raiders in free agency and replacing him with Will Harris. It seems like the recent acquisition has been hearing the chatter, too.
And the veteran defensive back wasted no time in his attempt to silence some increasing doubters when training camp began.
Chinn quickly became a fan favorite in Washington. He was fast, instinctive, and explosive, playing a significant role in the Commanders' meteoric rise in their first season under head coach Dan Quinn. That didn't matter to general manager Adam Peters, who wasn't willing to pay what the Raiders were offering.
Will Harris turned heads with impressive showing on Day 1 of Commanders training camp
Washington moved quickly to sign Harris. He's a solid enough player who also has a previous connection to assistant general manager Lance Newmark from their time together on the Detroit Lions. However, fans were skeptical about whether the former third-round pick out of Boston College could have Chinn's level of impact on the back end.
Harris set about firmly establishing himself on Day 1 of training camp. He started alongside Quan Martin in the starting unit, which was expected. But according to Lynnell Willingham from 106.7 The Fan, those in the building are much higher on the player than fans right now.
"Who's going to start at the safety spot opposite Quan Martin? Will Harris got the first crack at it, and I thought he was absolutely tremendous. There was one play when he broke on the football against the first-team offense, and you just saw the quicks, the football smarts of that guy. Talking to coach [Jason] Simmons after practice, one other thing he raved about was Will Harris and the physicality that he ultimately brings to this defense."
Lynnell Willingham
It's early days, and others will also get their opportunities to impress. Even so, all signs point to Harris being alongside Martin when Washington takes the field in Week 1 against the New York Giants.
Harris has the coaches' trust. He's got proven NFL production, although he'll need to raise performance levels based on his middling efforts for the New Orleans Saints in 2024. Having the likes of Tyler Owens, Percy Butler, and Jeremy Reaves breathing down his neck should keep the urgency high. This will also sharpen everybody before competitive action commences.
The Commanders' defense cannot afford to have any weak links if they want to dethrone the Philadelphia Eagles. If Harris can fill the void left by Chinn, that'll help Joe Whitt Jr.'s defensive aspirations considerably.
And he's off to a good start.
