Defensive tackle Shelby Harris spent three seasons with the Cleveland Browns and though he was not a star, he was the kind of reliable veteran presence a team needs to grind through a 17-game season. He played 17 games in his first season with Cleveland, in 2023, making seven starts. In 2024, he started 13 of the 14 games in which he appeared, though his season ended in Week 15 because of an elbow injury. He was back to playing the full slate in 2025, with five starts, 48% of the defensive snaps played, plus contributions on special teams.
But Harris will turn 35 in August and, as the Browns are moving toward more youth in the past two years, he was not brought back in free agency after his two-year, $9 million contract with Cleveland expired. He will not be unemployed, though: Harris has found a new home.
As Aaron Wilson, NFL reporter for KPRC in Houston, wrote on Twitter/X, Harris is leaving the AFC North but he is joining one of the division’s stalwart coaches–John Harbaugh, now in New York: “Giants have signed veteran Shelby Harris, per a league source #NFL.
Shelby Harris Wanted to Play for Jim Schwartz
Harris came to the Browns as a veteran with experience going back to the Raiders (when they were in Oakland), followed by time with the Broncos–he was there for five seasons–and one year with the Seahawks. While not much has changed, personnel-wise, for the Browns defense this offseason, one thing that has changed has been the coaching, where popular coordinator Jim Schwartz is out. He left the team in anger after he lost the head-coaching job to Todd Monken.
Harris was a fan of Schwartz. He might have misjudged the Browns’ situation back when he first signed with Cleveland, but he came to the team in large part because Schwartz was there.
He said at the time: “I felt like out of all the teams I was talking to they’re the most primed to win. How can I turn down the chance to play with those guys up front and playing in Coach Schwartz’ defense? … It’s truly a D-lineman’s dream to play in.”
Browns Defensive Line Gets Younger
As for the defensive line now for the Browns, the expectation is that last year’s first-round draft pick, Mason Graham, will show more growth in Year 2 and be able to assume a bigger role in the middle of the group. The team still has Maliek Collins on hand to start next to Graham.
The Browns also have some hope for new signing Kalia Davis, who was brought over from San Francisco in free agency after he had a breakout year with the 49ers. Davis could be the No. 3 man in the rotation given his experience level, but the Browns still have hopes for Mike Hall, the 2024 second-round pick whose career has been addled by a suspension after a domestic charge as a rookie and by injuries in 2025.
Hall has shown he has talent, but he will need to show he can stay on the field and put it together over 17 games.
Ex-Browns Starter Leaving for New Contract