Seahawks sign Connor Williams, trade Nick Harris back to Browns

The Seattle Seahawks officially signed standout free agent center Connor Williams and traded former UW Huskies center Nick Harris back to the Cleveland Browns, the team announced Sunday.

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The trade with Cleveland also included an exchange of draft picks, with Seattle sending away a 2026 seventh-round pick and receiving a 2026 sixth-round pick.

Williams and the Seahawks reportedly agreed to a one-year deal worth up to $6 million last Tuesday.

Williams, a 2018 second-round draft pick, provides a major upgrade to the Seahawks’ offensive line. The 6-foot-5, 317-pound veteran was one of the best centers in the league over the past two seasons with the Miami Dolphins, grading as Pro Football Focus’ fourth-best center in 2022 and its second-best center in 2023.

Williams spent his first four seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, where he primarily played left guard. Then after signing with Miami in 2022, he moved to center and started 26 games for the Dolphins before suffering a torn ACL last December. He has a combined 77 starts over his six NFL seasons.

Williams reportedly passed a physical with the Seahawks during a free agent visit last month, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Williams’ agent, Drew Rosenhaus, told 560 WQAM sports radio in Miami last week that he expects Williams to be ready to play in Week 1.

Harris, a 2020 fifth-round pick by Cleveland, spent the first four NFL seasons with the Browns before signing with Seattle in March. As training camp began last month, 2023 fifth-round pick Olu Oluwatimi appeared to have a leg up on Harris for the Seahawks’ starting center job. However, head coach Mike Macdonald told reporters last week that Harris was pushing Oluwatimi for the starting role.

With the addition of Williams, Seattle likely didn’t have room for three centers on its roster. By trading Harris, the Seahawks chose to keep Oluwatimi over Harris.

Oluwatimi, who made one start as a rookie last year, likely has the greater upside of the two. As a graduate student at Michigan in 2022, he won the Rimington Trophy as the best center in the country and the Outland Trophy as the nation’s best interior lineman. Harris has started just four NFL games since being drafted in 2020.

More on the Seattle Seahawks

• Rost: What we learned in Seahawks’ preseason opener
• What does Connor Williams addition mean for Seattle Seahawks?
• Who will win final roster spots in deep Seahawks WR room?
• Salk: Mike Macdonald has made Seattle Seahawks downright interesting
• Seahawks CB: Training camp fights are ‘nothing personal’

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