The Broncos’ secondary hadn’t yet heard the big news. Cornerback Darrelle Revis, of Revis Island, had just signed a two-year deal with the Chiefs, giving Kansas City another weapon in the defensive backfield.

“What?” cornerback Bradley Roby screamed after a reporter relayed the news. “Are you serious? Wow.”

The surprise somehow transpired into a debate over Revis’ true height; he’s listed at 5-foot-11 and 198 pounds, which means he’s probably 5-10, 205, Chris Harris argued.

And then it segued into a prediction of Revis’ immediate impact.

“They’re always up most of the time,” Harris said of the Chiefs. “He’s going to come in and get four picks.”

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“There are a couple teams that run the same system, like the Chargers, Jacksonville, Seattle. Some other teams run that Cover 3 system,” Harris said. “The corners are getting more picks because everything is more bottled up in their zone, so they force them to throw outside.”

With the Broncos’ offensive struggles and tweaks to their defense this season, Harris has watched his numbers fall. He entered the season believing that playing more zone would lead to more interceptions, more opportunities for big plays. Twice as many, he said.

Instead, his targets in coverage have been slashed as opponents force Denver to stay in its 3-4 base and rely on tight ends and backs to wreak havoc up the middle.

“They’re playing us differently,” defensive coordinator Joe Woods said. “A part of it is that (Harris) has made a lot of plays in his career. I think he has half the amount of targets this year as he has last year. That’s what he just told me on the field. I wasn’t aware of that. That’s what it appears to be.”

According to Stats Inc., Harris was targeted 87 times in coverage last season, an average of about 5.4 per game. Through the first 10 games this year, he’s been targeted a mere 39 times (3.9 per game).

Opponents have essentially reaped the benefits of not throwing Harris’ way, finding more success against Denver’s linebackers and safeties. When opponents do open it up, they’ve recently thrown at Roby, who has the most targets in coverage (43) of any Broncos corner this season, according to Stats Inc.

“It’s hard, but as long as I try to lock my man up, I’m doing my job,” Harris said. “It’s a stat league and you want to get those numbers, you want to get those stats. But when you’re thrown at twice, three times a game and a lot of times they’re shallow … it’s hard to get the numbers.”

Cornerbacks, like wide receivers and any other skill position players, build their careers on what the box scores show. But those numbers and ratings have varying interpretations.

Harris has allowed 237 receiving yards this year, well below the 268 he allowed through Week 11 last year. In the Broncos’ loss to the Bengals last Sunday, he was targeted only two times but surrendered a mere 3 yards. Pro Football Focus (PFF) gave him a mediocre grade of 56.3 on the week. His rating by the Broncos, however, was high. “Extremely high,” Harris said.

“Of course when you’re winning, the individual goals come easy, but when you’re losing, it’s really hard to stand out,” he added. “You try to do whatever you can to make plays and try to get your team to win.

“People are saying I’m not playing good, but I’m really balling.”

Another meeting with the Raiders this weekend could lead to more production for Harris. The Broncos’ last game against their AFC West rival — the last time Denver won a game, in Week 4 — Harris was targeted four times in coverage and gave up 33 yards, according to PFF.

Oakland is also where Harris notched his last pick-six, a 74-yard return for a touchdown that became one of the signature plays of the Broncos’ Super Bowl-winning season.

Harris remembers that feeling. He would like to have it back.

“He’s frustrated because he wants to make more plays on the ball, but at the same time, I think he knows he’s doing his job,” Woods said. “He’s doing his part on our defense and when new opportunity come his way, I know he’ll make those.”