CLEVELAND (AP) — The Cleveland Browns have agreed to terms with free agent center Ethan Pocic, who will compete with Nick Harris for the starting job and gives the team more depth up front.
Pocic was selected in the second round of the 2017 draft by Seattle and started 40 games for the Seahawks.
The 26-year-old Pocic has more experience than Harris, and the pair will compete to replace JC Tretter, the team’s longtime reliable center who was released earlier this month by the Browns to save salary cap space.
Tretter, who was recently elected to a second term as NFLPA president, started every game for Cleveland since 2017 despite some injuries before he tested positive for COVID-19 before the Christmas game in Green Bay.
Harris, a fifth-round pick in 2020, started for Tretter and played well. His performance may have pushed the Browns to make the move with Tretter, who was due to make $8.2 million.
“I’m very excited about Nick,” Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said Monday at the owners meetings in Florida. “He’s gotten in there and done a really nice job. He played mostly guard for us a couple years ago.
“Got in there in that Green Bay game. I think you saw his skill set. Very intelligent player. Plays very hard. Athletic player, so excited about him.”
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