Harris Out with Bad Knee for Browns' Regular-Season Finale

The former UW offensive lineman got hurt in his first pro football start against the Jets.

Nick Harris, after making a big move with his NFL career and starting his first game, has suffered a late-season setback.

The former University of Washington offensive lineman won't play Sunday in the Cleveland Browns' regular-season finale at home against the Pittsburgh Steeler after being ruled out with a knee injury.

Harris got a significant chance to play with the Browns offense two weeks ago against the New York Giants when he was summoned in the first quarter as an injury replacement for right guard Chris Hubbard. Previously, he had appeared largely as a special-teams player.

A fifth-round draft pick and normally a center, the 6-foot-1, 302-pound Harris performed well in his emergency role with the Baker Mayfield-led Cleveland offense.

"He did his job, played hard and got people on the ground," Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said of Harris. "I was really pleased with the way he played. He played at a high level."

The rookie from Inglewood, California, also drew a vote of confidence from the Browns teammate who matters most. 

"The way Nick stepped up and played guard, and he is our backup center, and for him to be able to step up and play a different position is tremendous," Mayfield said. "Hats off to him for mentally being ready and being able to come out there and play well."

Unfortunately, Harris hurt his knee during last week's 23-16 loss to the New York Jets that didn't help the Browns' playoff hopes. He'll sit and watch the Steelers game.

No word on how serious his injury might be.

Follow Dan Raley of Husky Maven on Twitter: @DanRaley1 and @HuskyMaven

Find Husky Maven on Facebook by searching: HuskyMaven/Sports Illustrated

Click the "follow" button in the top right corner to join the conversation on Husky Maven. Access and comment on featured stories and start your own conversations and post external links on our community page.