Last season, Nick Harris was not only the backup center for the Cleveland Browns, but he also served as the fullback for much of the year. The decision to use Harris in the role seemed to be a good one because of the use of an extra offensive lineman on the field. He seemed to pick up the role quite nicely, moving quickly enough to where he needed to be and using his size and power to clear space for the running back.
This offseason, the Browns decided to move forward with starter Ethan Pocic and second-year center Luke Wypler. Harris subsequently signed a one-year, $2.3 million deal with the Seattle Seahawks as an unrestricted free agent. In an interesting move, Cleveland still decided to add a third center in veteran Brian Allen.
Everything can change so quickly in the NFL and in the matter of less than a week and a half, Cleveland went from three centers to one center. Allen suffered a calf injury at the start of training camp and was released with an injury settlement on August 4th. Then on August 10th during the first preseason game versus the Packers, Luke Wypler was rolled up on and fractured his ankle. With Wypler now set to need surgery and out for an extended period of time, Pocic was all Cleveland had for the foreseeable future.
The Browns quickly decided to get Harris back from Seattle and traded him for a 2026 sixth-round pick. Cleveland also received a 2026 seventh-round pick in return.
Although the return of Harris is for the sole purpose of solidifying the center position, could this alter the future of one new Browns tight end? Giovanni Ricci was acquired this offseason as a free agent signing. During his time with the Carolina Panthers, he played both tight end and fullback. As Ricci battles for the third tight end spot on the roster, his versatility may give him the edge over Zaire Mitchell-Paden and undrafted free agent Treyton Welch.
Even though Harris is rejoining the Browns as the backup center, if the team does decide to use him as a fullback once again, then Ricci’s value drops significantly. This may really alter the trajectory of the third tight end spot for the Browns.
Behind David Njoku, Jordan Akins seems to be the clear No. 2 tight end. In a preseason game where the Browns struggled to consistently move the ball offensively, Mitchell-Paden made a good case for himself with three receptions for 20 yards. Prior to the Harris signing, Ricci felt like the one to get the nod as the No. 3 tight end on the 53-man roster. The wisest move now would be to keep the better pass catcher in Mitchell-Paden and just put Harris on the field as the fullback in short-yardage situations.
Not only will fans love to see Harris get reps at fullback once again, but it should be effective. His return is exactly what the team needed at center due to the Wypler injury, but his additional value remains intriguing.
