BEREA, Ohio – The last 24 hours have been a whirlwind for center Nick Harris.
On Saturday, in the first half of the Cleveland Browns’ preseason game against the Green Bay Packers, center Luke Wypler suffered a serious leg injury. He was carried off the field in an air cast and was quickly diagnosed with a fracture of his right ankle, which required surgery.
While it’s unclear if Wypler’s injury will keep him out for the entire season, he’s going to miss a lot of time. And with Brian Allen out for the foreseeable future due to a calf injury he suffered early in training camp, depth at the center position was a real concern for the Browns.
So the Browns started making some calls and suddenly saw a familiar face.
“Two days ago I talked to some people and saw what could happen,” Harris said.
Harris has been in Seattle since March, signing with the Seahawks as a free agent. He was the team’s center during OTAs, minicamp and the start of training camp. Things went well for him in Seattle, but now a new opportunity awaits him.
Andrew Berry, the Browns’ executive vice president of football operations and general manager, made the call Saturday after Wypler’s injury and the path led him to Harris. The Browns completed a trade with the Seahawks, sending him a 2026 sixth-round pick in exchange for Harris and a 2026 seventh-round pick.
The change took place on Sunday – and 24 fast-paced hours followed for the renewed Brown.
“I got the message, packed my things, got on a night flight and got here at 6am this morning. Now I’m at the viewing and talking to all of you,” laughed Harris. “This business requires you to be ready to go at any time. So I don’t have to have any commitments, I have to keep working wherever I am.”
It might be jarring to move across the country twice in such a short period of time, but Harris is seizing the moment and the opportunity to return to Cleveland.
“I’m glad to have a job. I have the opportunity to come back and compete in a place where I feel comfortable. And it feels good to see all my teammates again and see everyone in the building. So I can’t complain at all,” he said.
His teammates here reached out when the news broke and are thrilled with the feeling.
“Yeah, I got a few text messages. I got a few text messages from people in the building, from people on the team. So I definitely got a very warm welcome,” Harris smiled.
Head coach Kevin Stefanski said he was excited to have Harris back in the fold, not only because of his performance on the field, but also because of his connections in the locker room.
“Nice to see him. There are guys that play for you, work with you and give you everything they have and Nick was one of those guys. When he leaves, you wish him well, but you don’t like losing a guy like Nick just because he’s a big part of the locker room as well,” Stefanski said. “And then as far as Luke’s injury goes, I know Andrew worked pretty quickly to get a guy here that we know well as a coach, his teammates obviously know him well, and we’ll get him up to speed with some of the new things.”
Harris was on the practice field on Monday, already getting used to the team and the offense again. He will likely have a lot to do in the next two preseason games – the last of which will send him back to where he just came from.
Harris isn’t quite done with Seattle yet, and not only does he have to bring some things back here to Cleveland, but he also has to return to Seattle with the Browns in two weeks when they face none other than the Seahawks in their final preseason game.
But now the Browns’ returning center is ready to focus on work.
“I just have to play football. I can’t think about it too much. It’s the same thing I just did, only now I’m on a different team. I have to get familiar with what’s going on in the playbook as quickly as possible and just go out there and keep playing football, same thing,” Harris said. “I’ve learned to just take it as it comes and just be thankful for the opportunities. Even for coming back here, I’m just grateful and thankful that I have a job and can work and just play the sport that I love in any form and in any role. So I’m just happy that I get to do that.”
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