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The Cleveland Browns will field a significantly improved defensive front this season, and it appears likely there are even more additions still to come.
Defensive tackle Shelby Harris traveled to Cleveland on Monday, July 31, for a free agent visit amid the team’s ongoing training camp — a clear indication that the Browns are seriously considering adding the long-time NFL veteran to their revamped defensive line.
“Sources: Free agent DT Shelby Harris is visiting the #Browns today,” Jordan Schultz of the Schultz Report tweeted Monday morning. “Harris has had a terrific eight-year career thus far with the #Seahawks, #Broncos and #Raiders, and played his college ball nearby at Illinois State.”
Shelby Harris Has Proven Healthy, Highly Productive Over Last 4 NFL Seasons
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GettyDefensive tackle Shelby Harris, formerly of the Seattle Seahawks, met with the Cleveland Browns on Monday, July 31, 2023.
Harris was most recently employed by the Seattle Seahawks, who traded for him after he signed a three-year contract worth $27 million total to join the Denver Broncos in March 2021. Harris played two seasons on that deal before Seattle released him this spring in the interest of saving just shy of $9 million against its 2023 salary cap.
The DT has never been a Pro Bowler during his NFL tenure, but he has been a reliable and productive starter for the last several years. He has appeared in, and started, 58 of 66 possible regular season games over the past four seasons.
Harris was a plus interior defender in 2022 with an overall player grade of 73.2, per Pro Football Focus (PFF), which factored in an exceptional mark of 76.9 against the run. He was also a solid pass rusher on the inside, tallying eight quarterback pressures, six knockdowns and two sacks across 16 games played last season, per Pro Football Reference.
Cleveland is unlikely to make a long-term commitment to Harris, who will play the upcoming campaign at 32 years old. However, a short-term contract with a reasonable amount of guaranteed money could placate both sides, as Harris looks to cash in off of a solid year and the Browns seek to bolster even further what was one of the league’s worst defensive lines last season.
As of Monday, the Browns have approximately $16.85 million in salary cap space available for the 2023 season.
Shelby Harris Will Complete Browns’ Effort to Overhaul D-Line
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GettyDefensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson, formerly of the Minnesota Vikings, will lead the interior of the Cleveland Browns defensive line in 2023.
Cleveland’s was one of the worst run defenses in the NFL in 2022, finishing 25th in both yards per carry and overall rushing yards surrendered — though that shouldn’t be the case this year.
The Browns added former Pro Bowler Dalvin Tomlinson to lead the interior of the D-line, signing him to a four-year deal worth $57 million. Cleveland also used a third-round draft pick to add Siaki Ika to the unit in April. The team addressed its pass rush as well, trading with the Minnesota Vikings for Pro Bowler Za’Darius Smith to pair alongside All-Pro Myles Garrett off the edge.
Fourth-year defensive tackle Jordan Elliott figures to be part of the rotation again in 2023 after the Browns restructured his contract in a move that renders him a highly likely candidate to earn a spot on the final 53-man roster.
Harris would complete the revamped D-line in Cleveland, which bid adieu to troubled 2022 draft pick Perrion Winfrey after yet another brush with the law earlier this month.
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