Nick Harris trade signals Seahawks faith in Olu Oluwatimi

The Seattle Seahawks traded center Nick Harris along with a 2026 seventh-round pick to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for a 2026 sixth-round selection. The trade occurred one day after Harris earned the start at center in Seattle’s preseason win over the Los Angeles Chargers. The move proves that the franchise has a ton of faith in sophomore center Olu Oluwatimi.

Up until a few days ago, Harris and Oluwatimi were entrenched in a heated position battle for the starting role. Their competition essentially ended when the Seahawks signed free-agent center Connor Williams to a one-year contract on August 6th. With Williams yet to officially report to Seattle, it was Harris that started Saturday’s preseason game.

Despite Harris getting the first-team nod, he was swiftly replaced by Oluwatimi. Harris played just 12 snaps before making way for Oluwatimi, who totaled 45 sizable snaps. Perhaps the agreement with Cleveland began being discussed during the game!

Williams is still recovering from a season-ending torn ACL injury suffered in Week 14 as a member of the Miami Dolphins last season. The Seahawks expect Williams to be ready for Week 1 versus the Denver Broncos, but serious knee injuries are tricky, particularly for big linemen. Trading away Harris proves how much faith Seattle has in Oluwatimi’s ability to fill in at center if necessary.

Pro Football Focus credited Oluwatimi with allowing just one quarterback pressure and one sack en route to an above-average pass protection grade of 64.2. Oluwatimi struggled as a run blocker, earning a grade of 47.0 despite the Seahawks rushing for 156 yards (they did get stuffed on back-to-back runs on third and fourth down during the opening drive of the third quarter).

All in all, it was a solid performance for Oluwatimi, who the Seahawks have even more invested in following the Harris trade.

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