Veteran safety should have key role
While he wasn’t one of the Las Vegas Raiders’ high-profile additions this offseason, veteran safety Duron Harmon has quickly fit in with the team.
Teammates raved about Harmon, 31, in the offseason program and that zeal about him has continued in training camp.
“Duron is fantastic. For those of you who did watch the (Will Compton’s) podcast I would say don’t, but I named Duron my number two best friend on the team. It’s probably a little facetious but he is an unbelievable leader, and he has been that from the outset,” Las Vegas tight end Foster Moreau said. “His energy, positive attitude. Just what he brings to the table for us. Just so much confidence on the defensive side, especially in the secondary. He’s a special, special human being and that really translates over onto the grass.”
Harmon, who was with the Atlanta Falcons last season, spent his first seven NFL seasons with the New England Patriots where he played under new Las Vegas head coach Josh McDaniels, general manager Dave Ziegler and defensive coordinator Patrick Graham. Thus, the new staff knew he would be a fit in the defense and in the locker room.
“First of all, Duron’s a good player. He’s played at a high level for a long time,” McDaniels said. “(He’s) been a very dependable guy does a tremendous job of preparing his body. And if you watch him go about his business, if I was a young player, I would really take note of the things he does. Whether it’s in the cold tubs, or pre-practice, or post-practice, or extra meeting times, or the things he does to prepare himself to have a great day at work. Those rub off on everybody. He’s a good communicator, he’s smart, he loves football, and he’s a great teammate, and he’s very unselfish. So, just blessed that he’s here with us looking forward to another season together.”
Harmon is competing with 2019 first-round pick Johnathan Abram for a starting job and if Harmon doesn’t win the starting gig, expect him to still have a large role on the defense. Harmon is approaching training camp simply looking to help the team any way he can.
“At the end of the day all I care about is winning. That’s it,” Harmon said. “The best players are going to play. I’m not going to not help them because I’m competing against them, like I want our room to be filled with people who cheer each other on regardless of who is out there because at the end of the day we have a talented room. Young but talented room, so it’s my job to bring everybody, not just my job it’s the room’s job to elevate the level of play, to compete against each other but at the same time create a true brotherhood where we are competing and rooting for each other at the same time.”
It’s easy to see why everyone in Las Vegas is so impressed by their new veteran safety.