Charles Harris won’t be a ‘secret’ anymore if he has another nice season in 2022

Charles Harris is motivated to follow up last season with another productive campaign this year, so that no one will see him as a “secret” anymore.

Amid an otherwise mostly forgettable season for the Detroit Lions, Charles Harris found a home last year. The former first-round pick set a career-high with 7.5 sacks, and the Lions gladly brought him back on a two-year deal when he hit free agency in March.

Pro Football Focus has named one “secret superstar” for each NFL team entering the 2022 season. Harris was the one for the Lions.

"Harris had been a first-round bust over his first four seasons in the NFL. Three years in Miami saw his PFF pass-rushing grade get worse each season, and a year in Atlanta only continued that trend. But in Detroit, we saw a real impact player for the first time. Harris notched 52 pressures last season and an impressive 78.7 pass-rushing grade, the best of his career by a clear 10 grading points. Harris was a former first-round pick for a reason, and the Lions retained him for the upcoming season hoping he can repeat that performance"

Charles Harris motivated to follow up last season and no longer be a “secret”

Harris has said all offseason how he’s motivated to follow up his 2021 breakthrough, even citing how he could do better this year.

Via Ben Raven of MLive, Harris’ prove-it mode has not subsided as training camp gets going.

"It’s still a prove-it mentality. Without a doubt,” Harris said. “Show it ain’t no fluke. Show it ain’t no one-hitter quitter, not like that."

Detroit’s shift toward four-man defensive fronts this year should be good for Harris. Via Raven he said he’s being asked to do different things in coverage, which could be code phrasing for doing it less than he did as a 3-4 outside linebacker last year.

Harris is plenty motivated to prove last season was not a one-year flash. If he can repeat that success, or even do better, he won’t be a “secret” much longer.