When C Nick Harris walked into Cleveland Browns Stadium on Aug. 17 and took the field in a Browns uniform, a sense of familiarity washed over him. He knew where the locker room was and heard Browns fans in the stands welcoming him back to Cleveland.
And as he lined up at center on the Browns first offensive drive, he didn't seem to skip a beat.
"It feels like home, for sure, and it feels good to be here," Harris said. "It felt like second nature. Honestly, it felt like it didn't happen."
A lot did happen, though.
During the 2024 offseason, Harris was an unrestricted free agent. Harris said as he looked at his options in the offseason, evaluating where his life was at and making the best decision, he signed with the Seahawks in March. He went through their offseason program and minicamp in Seattle running center and competing for the starting center role during the early days of training camp. He started the Seahawks' first preseason game against the Chargers.
The Browns then acquired Harris in a trade with Seattle on Aug. 11, bringing him back to Cleveland. The Browns also received a 2026 7th round pick in exchange for a 2026 6th round pick.
On Aug. 11, Harris was at his home in the Seattle area. Less than 24 hours later, Harris was at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus for the Browns walkthrough early Monday morning. Five days later, Harris lined up at center during the Browns second preseason game against the Vikings.
"I'm glad to have a job. 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," Harris said following the trade.
Harris heard about the possibility of the trade to Cleveland about a day prior to the official trade taking place. Cleveland swiftly made the move to bring Harris back after backup C Luke Wypler sustained a fractured ankle in the first preseason game against the Packers on Aug. 10 – an injury that required surgery.
"With the injury to Luke (Wypler), I know (Executive Vice President of Football Operations and General Manager) Andrew (Berry) worked pretty quickly on that one to get a guy in here that as coaches we know well. Obviously, his teammates know him well and we'll get him up to speed on some of the new things," head coach Kevin Stefanski said. "Good to see him. There's guys that come in and play for you and work with you and give you everything they got, and Nick was one of those guys."
When Harris received a call that he was officially traded to the Browns, he packed up some belongings and hopped on a red-eye flight to Cleveland the morning of Aug. 12.
One he landed, he headed to CrossCountry Mortgage Campus to participate in walkthrough and his first practice back as a member of the Browns. Throughout the first few practices back – including two joint practices with the Vikings – Harris said his teammates helped him adjust to a new offensive scheme as quickly as possible.
He picked the minds of C Ethan Pocic, G Joel Bitonio and G Wyatt Teller, all players Harris played alongside the last few seasons. At walkthrough on his first day, Harris talked with RT Jack Conklin to learn from his perspective about the offensive system.
Harris said he spent a majority of the week compartmentalizing the offensive terms, matching up with what they did in the old system in previous years to the new system. He asked offensive line coach Andy Dickerson and assistant offensive line coach Roy Istvan a number of questions as he worked to build a base knowledge of the playbook heading into his first preseason game with the Browns.
Even with the new elements, Harris still had a sense of familiarity after spending the first four seasons of his NFL career with the Browns. Cleveland originally drafted Harris in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL Draft and appeared in 40 career games with four starts.
As the news of the trade broke, Harris said he heard from teammates and other people within the organization, welcoming him back to Cleveland. Bitonio was excited when he heard the news of Harris' return.
"He's just a good dude," Bitonio said. "Does anything for the team. And he's actually really good in the O-line room, like his personality fits in really well, and he meshes well with a lot of guys. It's a little bit of a new offense, so it wasn't quite coming back to exactly what he was used to. But honestly, he's done a great job, like usual, picking it up."
The Browns head to Seattle for the final preseason game on Aug. 24. And while Harris said he is excited about seeing his old teammates so quickly after the trade, he's zeroed in on getting acclimated in Cleveland before the start of the 2024 season.
Through his first week back with the Browns, and one preseason game under his belt, Stefanski has seen Harris do just that.
"The transition has been very, very smooth," Stefanski said. "Not real surprised, just knowing the type of person Nick is, both as a teammate and just a super intelligent player. A lot of those centers are very cerebral, Nick's in that category. Picked everything up very well. Played well. So, he's a guy that we're glad we got him, and really, he hasn't missed a beat."
