Why Titans should target OL Nick Harris in free agency

Matthew Curry explains why the Titans should target Browns pending free agent and OL Nick Harris in free agency.

For what feels like the one millionth offseason in the row, the Tennessee Titans once again need offensive line help. It’s possible Tennessee will only return one starter (Peter Skoronski) from their 2023 unit in 2024.

The Titans are off to an inspiring start in their quest to rebuild the trenches. The team hired one of the best offensive line coaches in the league in the form of Bill Callahan, son of new Titans head coach, Brian Callahan.

With many holes to fill, Tennessee could turn to a cheaper option at center in pending free-agent Nick Harris, who has connections to the elder Callahan.

Why? Let’s break it down.

PFF’s 10 highest-graded Browns’ offensive players vs. Bengals

The second team struggled for most of the day

On Sunday the Cleveland Browns played nearly none of their starters on the offensive line against the Cincinnati Bengals to wrap up the regular season. In preparation for the playoffs, Kevin Stefanski opted to rest his starters and get them healthier for what they hope is a deep playoff run.

Jeff Driskel became the fifth different quarterback to start for the Browns in what has been a rollercoaster of a season. He struggled for the first three quarters without much production although he did have a few good throws in the fourth quarter including two touchdowns to wide receiver David Bell.

Cleveland did get an extended look at rookie Luke Wypler who played out of position at guard and did so rather well for a first career start. More good stuff from Nick Harris who was back at center with Ethan Pocic resting for the postseason overall the depth on the offensive line had a decent outing.

Here are the Top 10 performances from the regular season finale according to PFF.

PFF’s 10 highest-graded Browns’ offensive players vs. Jaguars

The Browns came to life on Sunday vs. the Jaguars. behind Joe Flacco, but it was Jerome Ford and Kareem Hunt who had the best grades.

The Cleveland Browns offense finally crossed the 300-yard passing mark for the first time this year behind another nice game from veteran Joe Flacco. The team also scored the most points it had since Deshaun Watson led them to a victory over the Ravens before season-ending shoulder surgery. Can Jerome Ford and Kareem Hunt match with an efficient run game the rest of the way out?

Head coach Kevin Stefanski continues to do a great job having his team prepared and leading them to another victory with his fourth different quarterback. Flacco looked more comfortable on the field this week as he and Stefanski continue to figure out what works best for the quarterback and his supporting cast.

The offense continues to struggle to run the ball as another injury hits the offensive line that has had its depth tested lately. It is a testament to the roster built by this front office as the team continues to laugh at adversity. Here are the top 10 performances from the win according to PFF.

6 Browns currently in the top-10 at their positions in Pro Bowl voting

The Browns have a handful of players who may see themselves in the Pro Bowl!

The NFL has released the results of their first round of Pro Bowl voting, and NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero was more than happy to pass that information along. And for the 7-5 Cleveland Browns, who find themselves within striking distance of a wildcard spot, six players are currently in the top-10 at their respective positions in voting. These names are headlined by defensive end Myles Garrett and offensive guard Joel Bitonio. However, kicker Dustin Hopkins is getting the respect amongst his peers for his ongoing heroics this year.

For the most part, the Pro Bowl is nothing more than a popularity contest among those with name recognition. The event has been stripped down to a weekend of carnival games headlined by a flag football game as well as the players have never taken the actual game on the field seriously for their own health. However, seeing the names of those who wear the brown and orange among the NFL’s best remains exciting.

Here are all six players who are currently within striking distance of making the Pro Bowl for their performances thus far in 2023.

PFF’s 10 highest-graded Browns’ offensive players vs Steelers

Who stood out in a disappointing game on offense?

It was a tough night for the offense of the Cleveland Browns, especially quarterback Deshaun Watson in Pittsburgh on Monday. From the start with the pick-six thrown on the first snap to the three lost fumbles and two defensive touchdowns from the Steelers.

Watson looks lost at times on the field unable to read the defense and finds the open wide receiver taking several unnecessary sacks. His footwork and mechanics are off, and he looks like the same player lost on the field after his suspension last season.

Of course, it is hard to rewatch this game after the loss of Nick Chubb whose gruesome injury could spell the end of his time in Cleveland and maybe the NFL. Jerome Ford however showed some potential after stepping in for Chubb including a expolosive run to set up a touchdown.

Let’s take a look at who PFF ranked as the ten best players on offense for the Browns’ loss to the Steelers.

3 players who could follow Joshua Dobbs and be traded before cutdowns

These players could follow Josh Dobbs out of town for future draft assets

General manager Andrew Berry is no stranger to trading players for future draft picks as Thursday he traded backup quarterback Joshua Dobbs to the Arizona Cardinals. Dobbs was a player that the Cleveland Browns might have cut after the emergence of Dorian Thompson-Robinson this preseason. So could there be more players that Berry could trade to get something from them instead of cutting them for nothing?

The offensive line is very deep and they won’t be able to keep all of them so a player from this group could be traded for a day three pick makes sense. Here are the three players I think are the most likely to be traded if Berry decides to move someone else in the manner he did with Dobbs.

PFF’s 10 highest-graded Browns on offense against the Commanders

Who showed up the most on Friday night?

Though the first-team offense of the Cleveland Browns didn’t score on their lone drive of the game they did march right down the field before stalling inside the five-yard line. Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson looked comfortable and confident running the offense something he did not do in the final six games last year.

Rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson continued his impressive preseason and Kellen Mond have some nice plays late in the game. Elijah Moore showed his versatility by lining up in the backfield and producing from that spot while camp standout Austin Watkins continued to shine. Let’s take a look at the 10 highest-graded offensive players from Friday’s game according to PFF.

Browns: 5 offensive players with the most to gain in the Pro Football Hall of Fame game

Thursday is the prime chance for certain players to make a good impression on the coaching staff

The long wait for Cleveland Browns football is nearly over as they are set to play the New York Jets in the Pro Football Hall of Fame game Thursday night. Though you likely won’t see any starters or major contributors play on Thursday there are still plenty to watch for.

Borderline roster players will benefit from the extra game this year with more of an opportunity to prove themselves to the coaching staff. On top of players trying to make the roster in Cleveland, you have players who are just trying to make an impression on any team in the league to continue their journey.

Here’s a look at five offensive players that stand to gain the most from Thursday’s preseason game.

Browns: 3 potential training camp trade candidates

Players get traded in training camp every year. Could the Browns look to recoup some draft assets?

Football is officially back as the Cleveland Browns have wrapped up their first week of training camp at Greenbrier in West Virginia. The team has the day off today to relax and partake in some team-building opportunities after three days of work. The roster currently sits at 90 players, but the Browns will eventually have to cut that number down to 53.

And every year, teams end up shopping some of their fringe players around the league to see if they can at least get an asset out of them before opting to outright release them. The Browns are no different. And while every player that could get traded would not be released instead, here are three players that could entice other teams to make a move.

53 days until Browns season opener: 5 players to wear 53 in Cleveland

The regular season is just Nick Harris days from kicking off

The 2023 NFL season is nearly here as rookies and quarterbacks reported to Berea today in preparation for the start of training camp. There have been a total of 27 different players to wear the number 53 for the Cleveland Browns including center Nick Harris who will wear it for training camp. It will be a battle for Harris to come back from injury to make the roster in 2023.

The first player to wear the number for Cleveland was Al Coppage during the 1946 season. Interestingly enough Tae Davis actually wore the number during the 2022 season despite Harris having the number due to Harris being on IR with the torn ACL.