Shelby Harris dishes on opportunities, his past and when athletes need to shut it down

While much of the year has been a disappointment for the Denver Broncos, defensive lineman Shelby Harris has become the season’s most pleasant surprise.

Drafted in the seventh round in 2014, and already on his fourth team of his career, Harris has been exceptional for the Broncos, including his game-saving field goal block in the opening game of the season. Now, with starter Derek Wolfe on the IR for the rest of the 2017 campaign, Harris has an opportunity to show that he can hold his own as a starter.

In an interview with Eric Goodman and Les Shapiro of Mile High Sports AM 1340 | FM 104.7 inside the Broncos’ locker room, Harris says he’s not worried about next year. He’s just excited for the opportunity to play more, though he’d rather that playing time didn’t come at the cost of injured teammates.

“It’s a great opportunity, but it sucks, though — because one of your boys goes down,” Harris said. “You’ve just got to go in there and produce; show your value.”

That value could jump exponentially, and the timing in excellent for Harris, who’s a restricted free agent after the season ends. “I’m not worried about all the stuff that happens [in the offseason]. I’m just happy to be playing, considering that my whole career, I’ve been getting cut half the time,” Harris ssaid.

Discussing the team’s injuries, Harris notes that there are times when an athlete simply needs to take care of himself. “You don’t play with your head, you don’t play with your neck, you don’t play with your back,” Harris explained. “Those are the three areas that I feel like you’ve got to take care of yourself, as a man, as a person, before this football stuff.”

“Take care of yourself. You have a family… you’ve just got to make sure your health is the most important thing.”

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