In the spring, Nick Harris quietly left the Browns after four years with the team, signing a one-year deal with the Seattle Seahawks.
Five months later, he's back in Cleveland. Due to a rash of injuries at center -- including the loss of second-year lineman Luke Wypler to a broken ankle suffered in Saturday's preseason opener against Green Bay -- the Browns dialed the Seahawks, seeking the return of player they once planned to develop into the team's long-term replacement for JC Tretter before his own injuries derailed that scheme.
Harris packed his bags, jumped on a red-eye flight and landed in a familiar place.
"I'm glad to have a job," Harris said Monday, via the Akron Beacon Journal. "I have an opportunity to come back and just compete in a place I'm comfortable in, and it feels good to see all my teammates again and see everybody around the building. So I can't complain at all."
At one time, Harris' career trajectory was supposed to land him in the starting role in Cleveland. He was expected to succeed Tretter, but when a preseason knee injury ended his second campaign, the Browns were forced to find answers elsewhere, leading them to starting Ethan Pocic.
Pocic is still around as the team's top center, but with roster churn in mind, Cleveland planned ahead by selecting Wypler, the Ohio State product, in 2023. He became the new project, just as Harris had once been, freeing up the former Washington Husky to find work elsewhere in early 2024.
When Wypler went down Saturday and was quickly placed in an air cast and carted off the field at Cleveland Browns Stadium, Harris said he started to wonder whether he might end up back in Northeast Ohio.
"I mean, it's definitely rough," Harris said of Wypler's broken ankle. "As soon as I saw it, I let him know if there's anything I can help you with, if there's somebody you want to talk to about it, just let me know because like you said, I know how that feels. It's a tough situation to be in, so I hate to see that. It sucks to see because I know he was working hard and doing what he needed to do out here."
It took the Browns roughly 24 hours to swing the deal. Now, Harris is back with a team he knows intimately, even if some faces have changed. Offensive line coach Bill Callahan has left for Tennessee and has been replaced by Andy Richardson. Ken Dorsey has replaced Alex Van Pelt as offensive coordinator. Harris will have to adjust as he settles back into the organization.
The good news, though: Harris has still found his way onto the field, even if it hasn't come as the team's starting center. Cleveland used him as an extra lineman -- and occasional fullback in goal line situations -- as well as on special teams, helping him log 40 regular-season games played over three seasons.
He'll need that experience to get up to speed as August creeps toward September. The Browns just might need to count on him again.
