Raiders re-sign standout return specialist Dwayne Harris

Among the smarter moves the Raiders could make was to bring back the smartest special teams player in the league, Dwayne Harris. Monday they officially re-signed Harris.

The 8-year NFL veteran return man brings an invaluable savvy as both a return man and as a gunner. What he showed in his first season in Oakland was that he can make uncommon heads-up plays on the fly.

Two plays in particular stand out from last season. One against the Chiefs in which he stepped out of bounds at the one to keep a ball from bouncing into the end zone, resulting in a penalty on the punting team that gave the Raiders the ball at the 40.

The other was waiting for the Broncos’ coverage team to bat the ball back to keep it from being a touchback, scooping it up and returning it 99 yards for the score.

He twice earned AFC Special Teams Player of the Week last season and averaged an NFL best 14.1 yards per punt return which is the second best single-season mark in franchise history.

For his career, Harris has played in 103 games for the Cowboys, Giants, and Raiders. As a returner, he has totaled 159 kickoff returns for 4,055 yards (25.5 avg.) and one touchdown in addition to 177 punt returns for 1,805 (10.2 avg.) and four scores. On offense, Harris has posted 76 receptions for 867 yards and eight touchdowns.