Former Panthers Defender Immediately Joins NFC Contender in Week 13

Former Panthers DE Charles Harris, who was just released by the team on Monday following an underwhelming season, was quickly claimed by the contending Philadelphia Eagles.

The 29-year-old Harris hadn't impressed in his first season in Carolina, notching just 21 tackles in nine games and getting unceremoniously benched in Week 10. It makes sense for the organization to give younger players a longer look given the lost season, so Harris was a logical choice to let find a new team.

He's done exactly that with the Eagles, who had a massive need themselves at defensive end following Brandon Graham's unfortunate season-ending torn bicep injury suffered on Sunday.

Former Panthers DE Charles Harris Signed by Eagles

Things couldn't have worked out much better from Harris' perspective. He goes from one of the NFC's worst teams to one of its best, a 9-2 Philadelphia squad with a legitimate chance to usurp the Lions for the No. 1 seed.

The Eagles are one of a handful of teams who are real Super Bowl contenders. Harris, who has played for the Dolphins, Falcons, Lions, and Panthers before this stop, made an NFC Championship with Detroit last year but otherwise, hasn't sniffed playoff success.

Even though it'd be nice to say it was a mistake by Philadelphia to sign the failed Panther, it wasn't. The Eagles had limited options following Graham's injury, and Carolina did right by a veteran by releasing him instead of forcing him to sit on the bench for the rest of the campaign.

Harris now will have a few weeks to acclimate himself with the system before he'll be relied upon. If he comes up big in the postseason, perhaps he'll find himself back on a contender with a nice new contract after the offseason.

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