Darius Harris has had a fortuitous run as an NFL linebacker. His career started in the best place imaginable, signing with Kansas City out of college at the beginning of the Patrick Mahomes era. He brought his experiences to Dallas last season, hoping to find a foothold in a transitioning defense that was suffering through some injury attrition at the time.
Now he’s back in Dallas for his first full offseason, under a new coaching regime, hoping to earn a spot on the 53-man roster. The club made several offseason acquisitions at the linebacker position, but despite the fact Harris hasn’t seen much on-the-field action, he’s survived some initial roster shuffles in order to make his way with the club to Oxnard for training camp.
Rundown
Position: Linebacker
Age: 29
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 238 pounds
Hometown: Horn Lake, MS
High School: Horn Lake
College: Middle Tennessee State (College Game Film)
Draft: 2019 Undrafted Free Agent, Kansas City
Acquired: 2024 Street FA
Contract: One-year contract (2025), $1.17 million
2025 Base Salary: $1.17 million, no guarantees | Cap Hit $1.03 million (vet salary benefit)
Career Earnings: $3.2 million (per Over The Cap)
Profile
Harris signed with the Chiefs as a UDFA, but was placed on the NFI list, missing his rookie year and the team’s championship season. He was part of the team’s next trip to the Big Game, and their subsequent back-to-back wins in 2022 and 2023. While he wasn’t a major part of those teams, starting just six games across those four seasons, he does know what its like to be in a consistent winning environment, and if he’s able to relay that to his teammates in Dallas, that can be seen as a valuable asset.
When it comes to playing time, there’s a strong contingent ahead of him. The team traded for Kenneth Murray, a former first-round pick, and signed Jack Sanborn who is intimately familiar with new defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus. Second-year linebacker Marist Liufau has been impressive, and fourth-year LB Damone Clark has made a huge leap under Eberflus’ direction. It also appears the Cowboys‘ best LB, DeMarvion Overshown, is once again showing Wolverine-like recovery ability and has a chance to contribute to the team sooner than midseason.
That leaves limited opportunity for others, and with Dallas trading up in the fifth round for Shemar James, Harris has tough terrain to navigate in order to make the 53-man roster.
Follow Cowboys Wire on Facebook to join in on the conversation with fellow fans!
This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Dallas Cowboys player profile: No. 47 LB Darius Harris