News broke late in the afternoon on Wednesday that Andrew Berry had struck again. The Cleveland Browns and veteran defensive tackle, Shelby Harris, agreed to a one-year deal worth just north of $5 million.
Harris has now been in the league for eight years with a majority of his time in Denver. If you are wondering about the type of player he is and how he fits on this roster, think of everything you wish Jordan Elliott was, and that's Harris.
He has the strength and leverage to engage at the line and shed blocks in the run game, and he also has the athleticism and technique to be effective at collapsing the pocket. At age 31, Harris is certainly on the outskirts of his prime, but the Browns are getting a starting quality player for not a whole lot of money.
This signing doesn’t just make the roster stronger, but it also tells us where this team is. Here are the three biggest takeaways after the Harris signing on Wednesday.
Cleveland Browns takeaway No. 3: There could be more surprise signings
I don’t want to say that this was a complete shock, but I am slightly surprised that Berry ended up pulling the trigger on this. The Cleveland Browns have a ton of depth at defensive tackle, the issue is that none of it is extremely talented.
If Berry was willing to bring in a veteran like this at defensive tackle, we may see this at another position like at linebacker or along the offensive line as well. Again, both of these spots appear to be in decent shape, but both have struggled in the past.
I love seeing Berry be aggressive, and I think the team will feed off trying to fill the holes on this roster.
Cleveland Browns takeaway No. 2: Berry is finally giving up on his draft picks
The second big takeaway, which is almost tied for No. 1, Andrew Berry is finally willing to move on from his draft picks. There's a really good shot that Jordan Elliott and Tommy Togiai don’t make the roster after this move, and there is a 100 percent chance that at least one of them is gone (barring an injury).
Berry has appeared to always favor his draft picks in the past. So many times it felt like the tiebreaker came to if it was Berry’s guy or not. I’m not saying that’s wrong, but that era may also be coming to an end and Berry is now focused 100 percent on winning games.
That means guys like Anthony Schwartz and Demetric Felton could be at risk of getting cut from this team. Both were Berry draft picks, and both have underperformed up to this point.
I’m with the fanbase on being ready to cut ties with Schwartz. To be honest I was dumbfounded when Berry made that pick and knew from the beginning that his Olympic speed wasn’t going to be enough to develop him into an NFL wide receiver.
While I wouldn’t disagree with moving on from Felton, I also think that he could produce as a third-down back on this roster. He struggled returning kicks last season which doesn’t help him, but he has shown to have good hands and is elusive on the field.
The bottom line, after the Harris signing, it appears that no one is safe from potentially being cut.
Cleveland Browns takeaway No. 1: The time is now
What I love most about the Harris signing for the Cleveland Browns, Berry is showing that the time to win is now. I don’t care if he feels like his job is on the line, or if he finally had an epiphany that this roster was close but still needed some work, I’m just thrilled to see this type of singing.
I would argue that the Elijah Moore trade this offseason lines up with the same mentality. After giving up so many picks for Deshaun Watson, Berry had consistently hoarded picks to build up his draft capital. Giving up a second-round pick was not easy for Berry.
Not only does the Harris and Moore pickup show that the time is now, but we also saw an overhaul at the coordinator position this offseason. It may not be a huge thing in the eyes of many, but coaching can’t be overlooked in this league.
But who knows, maybe this was all a part of the Berry plan all along. The first three years would be all about the draft and letting players develop, and then he would be ready to pounce and finalize this roster for a playoff run.
I know Harris is just a defensive tackle and unless your name is Aaron Donald it’s tough to be a difference maker at that position, but I think this signing significantly improves the Browns roster.
Week 1 vs. the Bengals can’t come soon enough!