Nick Harris is accepting a new position with the Browns

Nick Harris was the starting center for the Browns not so long ago. Harris, a fifth-round pick in 2020, was supposed to take over for JC Tretter after the Browns dismissed him in 2022. Tretter would eventually retire. Harris had to wait his time behind Tretter for two seasons.

But in the NFL, things may change quickly. Harris’s life took a significant turn in 2022 after he was taken off the field during the Browns’ opening preseason series. It was the end of the season he had been waiting for.

Harris returned to his original position in the starting lineup when Ethan Pocic emerged as the winner of a three-year contract deal during the previous summer. When recovering from his injury following the previous season, he said that he was “in a real dark place.”

When the play came along last week, Harris was on the field for the Browns’ game-winning score in Indianapolis. He lined up with his hand in the soil, or rubber turf pellets, in front of Kareem Hunt to start the crucial fourth-and-1 play. Prior to Hunt, Wyatt Teller and Harris punched their way through the opening.

In his fourth season in the NFL, Harris didn’t plan on playing this position, but he’s doing his best.

Harris remarked, “I’m honestly just happy to be on the field playing football—(the injury) was a tough situation, whatever, and now that they’ve kind of created a role for me in the offense, it’s pretty cool.”

Pro Football Focus’s snap data shows that Harris has lined up in the backfield ten times this season, in addition to once as a tight end and once in the slot. Throughout his five run-blocking snaps on Sunday in Indianapolis, he was able to earn PFF’s highest run-blocking grade.

Whether it’s Harris, Michael Dunn, or James Hudson III, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski has always enjoyed deploying extra linemen. According to Harris, they talked about Harris’ job as a fullback early in the season, primarily for goal line scenarios. Early in the year, those were rare to come into being.

In order to kind of compliment other things we do in our offense, they just chose to open it up a little bit more, according to Harris.

Although he acknowledged that the job is different from what he is accustomed to, the fundamentals of it are still familiar to him.

At the end of the day, you’re still playing football, but there are some things about the position that you just have to get used to, Harris said. It’s an alternative viewpoint. Instead of being alert, you’re trailing everyone. As a result, you have to identify things there a little differently. But aside from that, it’s just football, dude. I started playing football when I was six years old.

Joel Bitonio, a guard on the left, remarked, “He’s done a good job for us.” “Hopefully, we can get him the ball a little bit and get him some routes here soon.” No, he’s done a fantastic job. I believe there were a few plays in the Niners game where he had to come down and whack some individuals. He is enjoying it, then. He is eager to join the team and assist them on the field. We therefore get delighted whenever we have additional linemen on the field.

Harris, who was a versatile player before focusing primarily on offensive line in high school, is a good fit for the role.

“I play sports. Growing up, I played a variety of positions,” he remarked. “I played tight end and linebacker.” It wasn’t until later in high school that I began to take O-line seriously. As I mentioned earlier, I’m a ball player, so I’ll just put it that way. I am capable of doing whatever they want of me.

He’s thrilled to be taking on more responsibility, which naturally raises the question: Does it entail being touched?

He uttered, “No, no, no, no.”

“I mean, I wouldn’t be opposed, but— I wouldn’t be opposed,” the speaker then said.

For the time being, Harris is merely attempting to fulfill his duties in a capacity that, fifteen months prior, no one seemed to be considering for the youthful center.

Bitonio remarked, “It just shows he wants to do everything he can to help the team win.” “I think he just gets to live that for a little while because every lineman has the dream of being a skill player at some point in their career.”

In the NFL, you have to seize any chance you get to get on the field when things don’t go your way. Harris has no problem lending a hand.

He added, “I’m a football player and I love the game, so whatever they need me to do, I’ll go over there and do it.” If they needed him to play D-line, he would have no problem.