Seattle Seahawks Trade C Nick Harris Back to Cleveland Browns in Pick Swap

After spending his first four NFL seasons with the Browns coming out of Washington, Nick Harris will return to a familiar spot after being traded by the Seahawks.

Aug 17, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Cleveland Browns center Nick Harris (53) against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports / Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Needing a roster spot for the arrival of Connor Williams, the Seattle Seahawks have orchestrated a mid-August trade with the Cleveland Browns sending veteran Nick Harris back to his original team.

According to the terms of the deal announced by both teams, the Seahawks will send Harris and a 2026 seventh-round pick to the Browns in exchange for a 2026 sixth-round pick in what ultimately results in a late-round pick swap. Per OverTheCap.com, the trade will result in a $1.295 million total in cap savings for Seattle.

Previously starring as an All-Pac 12 performer at Washington, Harris reunited with offensive line coach Scott Huff by signing a one-year contract with the Seahawks in March. At the time of the deal, he was expected to compete against second-year center Olu Oluwatimi for the starting job and through the first three weeks of training camp, the two players had been splitting first-team reps.

However, when Seattle brought Williams in for a free agent on the day before the first practice of training camp, it became clear the organization had sights on an upgrade over Harris and Oluwatimi at the pivot position. After the two sides negotiated a contract for a couple of weeks with other teams still exploring signing him, coach Mike Macdonald confirmed a report that the seventh-year blocker had agreed to sign with the team on Thursday and would be reporting in the near future, which made Harris expendable.

Harris started for the Seahawks against the Chargers on Saturday night, playing a total of 12 offensive snaps before Oluwatimi replaced him in the lineup. As it turns out, after the Browns lost reserve center Luke Wypler to a fractured ankle last night, Seattle and Cleveland were able to strike a deal quickly to send him back to his former team.

Prior to joining the Seahawks, Harris had played 522 offensive snaps in parts of four seasons in Cleveland, seeing action at both center and right guard with four starts. His time in Seattle will end without playing in a single regular season game and only logging a dozen preseason snaps for the franchise, leaving Williams and Oluwatimi as the team's two primary centers heading towards the regular season.