Huard: Expectations should be tempered for Harrison’s Seahawks tenure

Many fans and analysts are excited about what defensive tackle Damon “Snacks” Harrison can add to the Seahawks’ defensive line and defense as a whole.

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The 2016 All-Bowl signed with the Seahawks’ practice squad ahead of Week 5’s game with the Minnesota Vikings but was inactive for that contest with the plan being he gets in better shape before appearing in his first game and then likely being promoted to Seattle’s 53-man roster.

Now, the Seahawks are on their bye and Harrison, one of the NFL’s best run defenders over the last few seasons, could be making his Seahawks debut in Week 7’s game with the Arizona Cardinals.

So how much impact can “Snacks” make with Seattle over the rest of the 2020 season?

“I think pretty minimal,” former NFL quarterback Brock Huard said on the latest 710 ESPN Seattle Brock and Salk Podcast. “Their rush defense for three or four games was just fine.”

One of Huard’s biggest concerns is that Harrison was still available when he ultimately signed with the Seahawks.

“This is more of my concern for Snacks is nobody else in the league really went that direction” he said. “While an excellent player in his prime, I guess if you were to tell me he could play 25 snaps a game and be in great shape and have no problems with the calf, Achilles, groin, hamstring, back, shoulder, whatever … those are things I’m worried about when you’ve sat around and haven’t started the car in nine months and there’s a lot of sludge and there’s a lot of stuff you’ve got to get out of the car and out of the system to be able to play/

“So you tell me he’s able to stay healthy and play whatever the RPMs can get to for 20 snaps a game, then I’ll say yeah, he can have an impact,” Huard continued. “But would I bet on that for the next 10 games for his ability to stay healthy and play 20 snaps? I’d be very, very concerned.”

When asked if Harrison could create opportunities for other members on the defensive line to potentially make big plays against the run and pass, Huard said he remains hopeful.

“I would hope he can command a double team and not just get blown off the ball and blown backward, but is he going to penetrate?” he said. “Is he going (to get) tackles for loss?”

Mike Salk, James “Boy Howdy” Osborn and Kyle Brown were all more optimistic about Harrison’s chances to play well for Seattle going forward, Huard is far more pessimistic, but he’s more than open to being wrong.

“I’m all for your guys’ belief and positivity in ‘Snacks’ Harrison, but I’ve got to see it,” Huard said. “I have genuine reservation because in a league that wants guys like that, in a league that really does covet those guys, that 31 teams sat there and maybe he told them he didn’t want to play, and maybe he loves this environment and maybe he sheds some of that sludge, maybe he feels great and maybe he does all of those things. I would love to be totally dead wrong on this and (maybe) we watch him … (against) some of these teams want to run the ball a little bit and play that numbers game and you’re right that he commands two (blockers) and takes two. I hope I’m wrong. But let’s just say my expectation level is a little bit lower on Snacks than everybody else’s.”

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