Tag: Nick Harris

1 veteran player on the roster bubble at each position group for the Browns

After overhauling chunks of their roster, which veterans could find themselves on the bubble as training camp nears?

The Cleveland Browns and general manager set out to add talent not only to positions of need but all over their roster this offseason, and may not be done yet. While the microscope is on the defensive tackle room given how abysmal it was a year ago (meaning second-year player Perrion Winfrey will need to lock in this summer), there are now veterans on the roster bubble in every room.

Who else joins Winfrey as veteran roster bubble candidates as the Browns look to get training camp underway in three weeks? Here is one player per position that will be in a fight for a roster spot.

Will Browns center Nick Harris be on the outside looking in this year?

Could the former draft pick be left off the 53-man roster?

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The Cleveland Browns moved on from veteran JC Tretter to make former sixth round draft pick Nick Harris the new starting center. However, after tearing his ACL in the first preseason game a year ago, Harris didn’t play during the 2022 season while Ethan Pocic had the best season of his career. Harris is now in a tough spot after the team drafted Luke Wypler in the sixth round.

Harris will now enter the final year of his rookie contract coming of the ACL injury. There was understandable optimism for Nick Harris seeing him in a  big start in Green Bay and some impressive early training camp practices. After Pocic re-signed and the drafting of Wypler it seems like Nick Harris will likely be left off the 53.

It will be hard for Harris to make the roster because of his limited versatility as a player who can’t play guard. Wypler is in the same situation but on a rookie deal with significant upside, he is the more likely backup. The team isn’t likely to carry two backup centers that can’t play guard.

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Browns must reduce roster by 5 players by Tuesday

The NFL is back to slowly reducing rosters to the initial 53-man with the first five going off rosters by Tuesday:

Some of the different regulations that were put in place around the COVID-19 pandemic were not just related to masks and testing. Some were pretty significant changes to how the football business was done in the NFL.

A few changes might linger but, like most if not all of the health and safety protocols, most have been eliminated going into the 2022 NFL season.

One of the biggest was the all-at-once cutting down of rosters from the 90-man to the 53-man at the end of the preseason. The chaotic nature, for both fans and the front offices around the league, was both fun and overwhelming.

Starting Tuesday of this week, that changes as we return to the slow steady reduction process. We have already seen teams over the weekend begin reducing their rosters from 90 to 85. Instead of risking injury to players they may cut in a couple of days, teams are getting ahead of things.

The Cleveland Browns have not made moves yet with this in mind. One of those moves could be placing OL Nick Harris on season-ending injured reserve. The same would be true if QB Deshaun Watson is suspended for the entire season.

It will be interesting if players like LB Jordan Kunaszyk and DE Chris Odom, both signed in the last two weeks, would be among the first set of cuts.

We will keep you up to date right here with all roster moves as the team starts the slow process of getting down to their initial 53-man roster.

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Sunday Practice: Newsome, Woods out, Garrett misses, no Harris update

A few news and notes on injuries and Garrett not at practice Sunday:

The Cleveland Browns returned to the practice field in Berea to continue training camp after their first preseason game. The Browns took the victory from the Jacksonville Jaguars but have a lot of things they hoped to work on.

A lot of Cleveland’s key players sat out Friday night’s game including just a few with injuries.

Unfortunately, OL Nick Harris was hurt on the second snap of the game and the offense under QB Deshaun Watson struggled greatly. Saturday, HC Kevin Stefanski said it was likely Harris was out for the year.

Sunday, Stefanski informed the media that QB Jacoby Brissett would take over the majority of first-team snaps in place of Watson. The Browns still await the results of an appeal of Watson’s six-game suspension that could lead to him being out much longer.

A few injury updates and more on players missing Sunday’s practice:

Nick Harris likely out for season, per Kevin Stefanski

According to Stefanski, the worst-case scenario is likely for Harris. Pocic is the likely replacement but a Tretter return is possible:

The Cleveland Browns defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars in their preseason opener by the score of 24-13. RB Jerome Ford looked really good except for a fumble. CB Martin Emerson played bully ball to intercept a pass and return it for a touchdown. Isaiah Thomas, Chris Odom and Isaac Rochell showed that the Browns may have some quality depth at defensive end as well.

There were obvious negatives as well. QB Deshaun Watson looked rusty and rushed. WR Anthony Schwartz dropped two passes. RB D’Ernest Johnson joined Ford with a fumble.

The most significant negative was the loss of new starting center Nick Harris on the second play from scrimmage. Harris’ leg buckled during a bull rush and he was in obvious pain. Saturday, HC Kevin Stefanski all but confirmed the worst for Harris:

The team’s fifth-round pick in 2020, Harris finally got his chance to grab the starting job when Cleveland released veteran J.C. Tretter. Smaller, for a traditional offensive lineman, Harris’ agility and speed were seen as perfect fits in the wide zone scheme.

Ethan Pocic, signed as a free agent this offseason, stepped in to replace Harris on the third play. A second-round pick of the Seattle Seahawks, Pocic will likely get the first shot at taking Harris’ place.

Brock Hoffman is the only other center listed on Cleveland’s roster but Dawson Deaton played center in college as well.

Tretter remains a free agent and could get a call from GM Andrew Berry.

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C Nick Harris goes down on second play of preseason, taken off on cart

Two plays in and already what looked like a serious injury for the Browns:

The Cleveland Browns preseason slate of games kicked off tonight just after 7 PM in Jacksonville. The Browns won the coin toss and chose to take the kickoff first, getting QB Deshaun Watson on the field quickly.

The first two plays were incomplete passes but new starting center Nick Harris getting hurt on the second play was far worse. While blocking, Harris was bull rushed and attempted to reestablish his base when it looked like his knee buckled.

Harris went down grabbing his leg immediately and the cart was brought onto the field to transport him to the locker room.

With the Browns releasing veteran J.C. Tretter, Harris was set to start at center this year after being a fifth-round draft pick in 2020.

Ethan Pocic replaced Harris at the position after the injury.

We will keep you up to date on the extent of the injury as soon as information becomes available.

Update: Quickly, the team announced that Harris was ruled out for the remainder of the game with a right knee injury.

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Nick Harris leaves practice early with trainer due to eye poke

Update: Harris’ walked off with the trainer after getting poked in the eye:

Outside of what the Cleveland Browns are dealing with in terms of the unknown outcome for QB Deshaun Watson, all NFL teams worry the most about injuries during training camp. Getting players on the same page, working on techniques and implementing systems all fall behind general health.

The Browns have had some problems with health, especially at the wide receiver position. While WRs David Bell and Anthony Schwartz are expected to return soon, promising rookie Isaiah Weston is out for the year.

WR Amari Cooper twisted his ankle but has already returned to practice.

On Friday, the team had another player walk off with the training staff. New starting center Nick Harris walked off with a trainer before the weather moved the team’s practice indoor:

Harris is set to take over for released veteran J.C. Tretter. He played well in his only game of the season in 2021 and gets a chance to prove he was a steal as a fifth-round pick.

Ethan Pocic, a free agent addition this offseason, and Brock Hoffman, an undrafted rookie, are the other two centers on the roster. A seventh-round pick in 2021, Dawson Deaton is listed as a guard but played center, among other positions, in college.

Update: False alarm as Harris walked off with the trainer after getting poked in the eye:

Andrew Berry draft review: Nick Harris’ time comes in 2022

Another player from Berry’s first draft class that has a chance this year to make a mark:

With training camp just a little over a week away, it is a perfect time to do some reviews for the Cleveland Browns. This offseason has been the third for GM Andrew Berry and head coach Kevin Stefanski together. While their tenures are going to be marked primarily by their decision to trade for Deshaun Watson and move on from Baker Mayfield, there is more to review.

For Berry, returning to the Browns was a chance to make his name outside of that of Sashi Brown. Brown brought Berry to the Browns but proceeded with one of the biggest tear-downs and rebuilds that had ever been seen in the NFL.

When Berry was hired, he made it clear that he would be aggressive in running the front office and that much has been clear.

With his third draft having just been completed, we take a look back at the first two drafts and what has been seen so far. His first selection was LT Jedrick Wills, who we looked at earlier this weekend. This second selection was safety Grant Delpit out of LSU, who we have also covered.

DT Jordan Elliott provides an interesting situation as a player who could start but also could be competing for a roster spot in 2022. LB Jacob Phillips is in a similar situation with injury concerns and lack of opportunities real concerns.

The team’s fourth-round pick, TE Harrison Bryant is another interesting player to look at from Berry’s first draft. With Austin Hooper gone, Bryant has an increased role this year.

Another player with a chance to finally have a time to shine is fifth-round pick OL Nick Harris:

8 biggest questions entering Browns training camp

The 8 biggest questions that need to get answered in Browns training camp

Cleveland Browns training camp kicks off with the rookies reporting on Friday and the full team convening shortly thereafter. The Browns head to Berea for Kevin Stefanski’s third season as head coach with quite a few questions.

The biggest of those is what happens with QB Deshaun Watson, but that’s a greater question than can be answered in training camp. My questions for the Browns deal more with things that can be resolved in training camp and the three preseason games.

Here are the top questions for the Browns to answer on the practice field in training camp.

Joe Thomas highlights most important aspect in zone blocking for OL

The legendary Browns offensive lineman shares the most important thing he learned from Kyle Shanahan. It bodes well for Nick Harris’ ascension to starter:

The zone blocking scheme has been around for a while. Mike Shanahan’s use of the scheme with the Denver Broncos made it famous for many fans. Shanahan’s teams could churn out 1,000-yard rushers from, seemingly, random places.

The Cleveland Browns implemented the system when Kevin Stefanski was hired as the head coach. The team has had a ton of success running the ball in the zone run scheme, helped by the talents of Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt.

The scheme is becoming more and more prevalent in the NFL today with versions of it run across the league

Previously, Cleveland ran the system when Kyle Shanahan was the offensive coordinator. This weekend, legendary Brown Joe Thomas was tagged in a tweet showing his technique as a zone blocker. Thomas replied by sharing what he learned from the younger Shanahan:

Valuing speed on the offensive line has been evident during Stefanski’s tenure. With Nick Harris set to step in for J.C. Tretter, speed will have to be utilized as Cleveland’s new center is significantly undersized.

Joel Bitonio, Jack Conklin and Wyatt Teller have shown versatility in a variety of schemes while being successful in all of them. Jedrick Wills enters his third season coming off a year where injuries limited him. All of them have the speed Thomas is talking about.

A healthy Wills and using Harris’ strengths will help the Browns once again have one of the best offensive lines in the game.