Shelby Harris got a raise, wants long-term contract

Step 1 for Broncos nose tackle Shelby Harris — prove he can be a reliable player — became a success last year.

Harris followed his 5 ½ sacks in 2017 with a career-best 39 tackles a year ago, and the Broncos rewarded him with a second-round restricted free agent contract tender, which raised his salary from $705,000 to $3.095 million (a 227percent raise).

“I’m just happy to be wanted for another year, especially with the way my career started,” said Harris, who was cut six times before joining the Broncos in January 2017. “I worked my butt off for this and it’s really showed me where I can go. I’m not done yet. This is a little steppingstone.”

Step 2 for Harris: A long-term contract.

“That’s every man’s dream,” Harris said after an organized team activity workout this week. “I would love a multi-year deal here, but the way that works, you have to focus on this year, go out and play.”

What works in Harris’ favor is that he figures to play more this year. He played 390 of 1,077 snaps in 2018, but starting nose tackle Domata Peko (522 snaps) was not re-signed. Harris worked with the first-team defense during Monday’s OTA.

In a reserve role, Harris posted numbers that should invite optimism. Per The Denver Post’s game charting, he had 1 ½ sacks and 10 ½ disruptions (pressures/ knockdowns/sacks), fourth-most on the Broncos. Against the run, he had 12 ½ “stuffs” (gain of three