Tag: Nick Harris

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.

Browns add OC Ethan Pocic in free agency

Competition and depth, Browns add the 6’6″ former 2nd round pick center who struggled in pass protection last season in Seattle:

The Cleveland Browns offseason has seemed to stall out a little since the acquisition of quarterbacks Deshaun Watson and Jacoby Brissett. The team’s current 53-man roster leaves a lot of holes, especially on the defensive line. The team seems to be hoping Jadeveon Clowney will return in free agency despite making it clear that money would be his number one deciding factor.

The Browns created some of their other potential holes with releases this offseason:

  • WR Jarvis Landry
  • TE Austin Hooper
  • OC J.C. Tretter

The team also traded away Case Keenum making room for the Brissett signing.

Besides Clowney, the team could see a Landry return as well.

According to multiple reports, the team is now bringing in center Ethan Pocic. While Nick Harris was expected to start, the 26-year-old former second-round pick could compete for that role or provide the team with depth on the interior of their offensive line.

Pocic has started 40 of his 57 games with the Seattle Seahawks. According to Pro Football Reference, he has had 13 total penalties throughout his five-year career including eight holding calls.

At 6’6″, Pocic is a very tall center while Harris is more diminutive. Height on the interior of the line is not always a positive trait, especially at center where snapping the ball and getting into blocking position quickly is a premium. Pocic did not grade out well as a pass blocker last year:

Cleveland’s addition of Pocic gives the team more depth at a place of strength while the team looks to address positions of weakness over the next month including in the NFL draft.

Browns waive RB John Kelly, activate OL Nick Harris

With running backs coming back, John Kelly was waived. Nick Harris had to be activated this week:

The Cleveland Browns need to turn quickly from their victory in Week 11 to their very important matchup in Week 12 against the Baltimore Ravens. That started today with the team waiving running back John Kelly and activating offensive lineman Nick Harris.

Kelly was on the COVID-19 list before being activated recently. With Nick Chubb and Demetric Felton back off the same list and Kareem Hunt expected to return soon, Kelly was the odd man out.

In three games this year, Kelly had two carries for 11 yards. He could return to the team’s practice squad if he clears waivers.

Harris was designated to return from the injured reserve list and was required to be activated this week. The backup interior offensive lineman has played in five games this season with all coming on special teams.

Harris primarily backs up starting center J.C. Tretter. Tretter has been limited in practices due to leg injuries but hasn’t missed a game. Harris gives the team some protection in case anything happens to their veteran starter. Undersized, Harris has good movement skill for the zone blocking scheme Cleveland runs.

Nick Harris the latest Browns player to go on reserve/COVID-19 list

The Cleveland Browns have placed reserve OL Nick Harris on the reserve/COVID-19 list

The ongoing COVID-19 issues inside the Cleveland Browns aren’t going away. A day after the team went into enhanced COVID-19 protocols due to several players testing positive for the virus, another Browns player has joined the crowd on the reserve list.

This time it’s reserve offensive lineman Nick Harris. He joins RBs Nick Chubb, Demetric Felton and John Kelly on the reserve/COVID-19 list, as well as two members of the practice squad. Players who are vaccinated can return with two consecutive days of negative tests. Harris’ status is unknown, but Chubb and Felton have both confirmed they are vaccinated.

It’s another blow to the depth chart for the Browns, who were severely impacted by COVID-19 issues in the 2020 season, too.

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Browns sign cornerback, designate Nick Harris for return, Stump Mitchell out due to knee issue

The Browns made some moves including signing a corner, setting up the return of Harris but the biggest news may be Stump Mitchell’s indefinite absence:

The Cleveland Browns continue to make a variety of moves in advance of their Week 8 showdown with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Head coach Kevin Stefanski announced the QB Baker Mayfield would return after missing a week. RB Nick Chubb and RT Jack Conklin have been cleared from any injury designation and will return while three have been ruled out for the game.

The Browns also announced that run game coordinator and running backs coach Stump Mitchell will not coach on Sunday due to a previous knee issue. The team reported that he will be out indefinitely at this time. Ryan Cordell will take over the running backs and Kevin Rogers will assist with Mitchell’s other roles.

The team also signed cornerback Herb Miller to the active roster and designated center Nick Harris for return from injured reserve. As we noted yesterday, OL Alex Taylor was waived to make room for Miller.

Miller has been called up from the Browns practice squad in each of the last two weeks and played snaps on special teams. With Denzel Ward out for Week 8 and AJ Green questionable, Miller may need to play on defense as well against the Steelers on Halloween.

The Browns now have three weeks to activate Harris from injured reserve but will have to clear a roster spot for him when they do so. He is unlikely to be activated ahead of this week’s game.

Browns sign OT Hjalte Froholdt from the Texans practice squad, place Nick Harris on I.R.

Nick Harris heads to injured reserve and the Browns sign Hjalte Froholdt to replace him on the active roster. Elijah Lee was also released:

The Cleveland Browns have added another offensive lineman to the mix. The Browns signed Hjalte Froholdt from the Houston Texans practice squad.

Froholdt takes the place of reserve center Nick Harris, who is headed to the injured reserve list with a hamstring injury. Harris has played exclusively on special teams in the first four games, accruing 16 total snaps.

Froholdt was a fourth-round pick by the New England Patriots out of Arkansas. He is a native of Denmark. Froholdt primarily plays guard, seeing time at both left and right guard in 2020 for the Patriots.

The Texans claimed Froholdt off waivers from New England last November. The 6-foot-5, 310-pound Dane did not make the Texans final roster after the preseason and spent the first four weeks on Houston’s practice squad.

The Browns also released linebacker Elijah Lee with no corresponding move.

 

Browns place Olivier Vernon, Nick Harris on injured reserve

Vernon had been the Browns best defender over the last 8 weeks

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Olivier Vernon’s season is officially over now. The Browns placed the starting defensive end on injured reserve with his torn Achilles tendon. Vernon suffered the injury in the Week 17 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Browns also placed rookie offensive lineman Nick Harris on the I.R. Harris has a knee injury that kept him out of Week 17 after he picked up his first career start in Week 16 at right guard.

Cleveland also placed left guard Joel Bitonio and wide receiver KhaDarel Hodge on the reserve/COVID-19 list effective on Tuesday. Both players tested positive for the coronavirus. That means they are eligible to be activated prior to the divisional round of the postseason if the Browns beat Pittsburgh on Sunday in the wild-card round.

 

Final Browns injury report for Week 17: Wyatt Teller questionable, Nick Harris out

The Browns are very thin at OG and LB facing the Steelers

Already facing the loss of some players due to COVID-19, the Cleveland Browns could be in a real depth pickle in Sunday’s matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Based on the week’s final injury report, the offensive guard and linebacker positions are in real peril.

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Wyatt Teller, the regular starting right guard, is questionable with his ankle injury. Teller has missed the last two games and his presence has been sorely missed.

If he can’t go, the Browns are in serious peril. With regular backup Chris Hubbard on I.R. after suffering a major knee injury, the Browns will also be without rookie Nick Harris, who started for Teller in Week 16. Harris has been ruled out for Sunday with a knee injury of his own. Michael Dunn is the only other reserve interior lineman.

At LB, Tae Davis is questionable with an ankle injury. Davis primarily plays on special teams, though he did see some action against the Jets. Sione Takitaki, who has played well of late, is also questionable with an ankle injury. Takitaki played through the injury in New York.

Also listed as questionable: reserve OT Kendall Lamm (illness). No other players carry any designation into Sunday’s game at FirstEnergy Stadium.

Nick Harris: Looking at what they’ve said about the new Browns right guard

Reviewing the scouting reports on Browns RG Nick Harris

Nick Harris is the new starting right guard for the Cleveland Browns. An ankle injury to Wyatt Teller and a serious knee injury to backup Chris Hubbard have thrust Harris, the Browns’ fifth-round rookie from Washington, into the lineup.

Harris played reasonably well in his debut action at guard against the New York Giants in Week 15. He did allow a sack but generally looked like he belonged.

Now that the move is more than just emergency spot duty–Tretter is expected to miss the final two regular-season games–it’s a good time to look back at the scouting reports and observations on Harris from earlier in his career.

In his immediate post-draft scouting assessment of Harris, Browns Wire’s Josh Keatley offered this assessment,

Harris was named All-PAC-12 in back-to-back seasons after moving to center from guard, but he even played guard at a high level before the transition. At 6-1 and 302 pounds, Harris has fine size and extremely quick feet for his size. He looks for extra work at the second level and has unique lateral movement skills.

Keatley did note this caution: “Harris has an extremely high ceiling, but he does not look like it with an awkward, somewhat sloppy body and short limbs.”

Mark Schofield of Touchdown Wire echoed the thoughts of many in his snap reaction to the Browns selecting Harris in the fifth round,

Looking back at some of the more prominent scouting reports on Harris, who played guard but primarily center at Washington, there was a common theme. Kyle Crabbs of The Draft Network (and Dolphins Wire) assessed Harris like this,

For a team in search of an athletic center that thrives pulling and climbing to the second level while employing a zone run scheme, Harris is an exciting option. While he isn’t the most physically dominant run blocker and his anchor can be compromised in pass protection, Harris is highly competitive, technically-sound and his functional mobility is impressive. He may be a scheme-specific prospect, but he has the makings of a starter in the right offense in time. 

Dane Brugler of The Athletic echoed those sentiments in his scouting report on Harris, who he projected as a third-round talent,

While he loves to finish and finds a way to stick to blocks, his body type will limit him in certain situations. Overall, Harris is scheme-specific and will be overlooked because he lacks ideal NFL measurables, but he has a terrific blend of smarts, technique and agility with a competitive playing temperament, displaying starter-level traits in a zone-blocking scheme.

We got to see Harris during the broadcasts of the training camp sessions. I noted this on the first day,

With JC Tretter out, fifth-round rookie Nick Harris stepped into the starting center role. His snapping was flawless on the limited camera shots. What stood out for me was a run play to the left where he fired out and quickly got to his assignment at picking off the LB in space. That’s a staple responsibility of the Stefanski offense and the wide-zone blocking scheme.

From the early looks we’ve had at Harris in action in a Browns uniform, it seems the scouting reports were pretty spot-on in terms of his movement ability and lack of length.

The NFL’s Secret Superstars of Week 15

Every week in the NFL, there are players who go above and beyond under the radar. Here are the NFL’s Secret Superstars of Week 15.

Every NFL season features a certain number of players who come out of nowhere to surprise and entertain at a level we did not expect. Perhaps they’re veterans for whom everything finally clicks. Perhaps they’re rookies who show that the NFL curve can be navigated at a quicker pace by some more than others.

Whatever the circumstances, there were several players who either expanded their 2019 performances, or came into the NFL as first-year players in 2020 and showed that they didn’t need a preseason to ball out at a professional level.

Here are the NFL’s Secret Superstars of Week 15.