The Seattle Seahawks have officially signed standout free agent center Connor Williams and traded former UW Huskies center Nick Harris back to the Cleveland Browns, the team announced on Sunday.
**Seahawks Make Moves in Preseason**
In the trade with Cleveland, the Seahawks also swapped draft picks, sending a 2026 seventh-round pick to the Browns and receiving a 2026 sixth-round pick in return.
Williams, who agreed to a one-year deal worth up to $6 million last Tuesday, brings a significant boost to the Seahawks’ offensive line. The 6-foot-5, 317-pound veteran, drafted in the second round in 2018, was one of the top centers in the league over the past two seasons with the Miami Dolphins. He was rated as Pro Football Focus’ fourth-best center in 2022 and second-best in 2023.
Williams started his NFL career with the Dallas Cowboys, where he played primarily as a left guard for his first four seasons. After moving to center with Miami in 2022, he started 26 games before suffering a torn ACL last December. He has a total of 77 starts over six seasons.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Williams passed a physical with the Seahawks during a free agent visit last month. His agent, Drew Rosenhaus, indicated that Williams should be ready for Week 1.
Nick Harris, a 2020 fifth-round pick by the Browns, spent his first four NFL seasons with Cleveland before joining the Seahawks in March. As training camp began, 2023 fifth-round pick Olu Oluwatimi appeared to be ahead of Harris for the starting center role. However, Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald noted that Harris was challenging Oluwatimi for the position.
With Williams’ addition, the Seahawks opted to trade Harris rather than keep three centers on their roster, choosing to retain Oluwatimi, who has greater potential. Oluwatimi, who started one game as a rookie last year, won the Rimington Trophy and the Outland Trophy in 2022 as the best center and best interior lineman, respectively. In contrast, Harris has made just four NFL starts since being drafted.
