Report: Defensive lineman Shelby Harris is signing with the Cleveland Browns

Prior to the start of training camp, the Broncos learned they have lost second-year defensive lineman Eyioma Uwazurike indefinitely due to violating the NFL’s policy on gambling. This was a hit to the Broncos' defensive line depth, so they decided to bring in free-agent defensive lineman Shelby Harris for a visit.

Ultimately, no signing happened and now a few weeks later, NFL insider Jordan Schultz is reporting that Shelby Harris has signed with the Cleveland Browns. This means, if the Broncos were looking to bolster their defensive line, they will need to look elsewhere.

When the news of Shelby Harris’s visit with the Broncos hit, many fans were excited. He quickly became a fan favorite during his time here and he was a productive member of their defense during that time. However, he was included in the trade for quarterback Russell Wilson and spent last season with the Seahawks before being cut by them when they signed former Broncos defensive lineman Dre’Mont Jones.

After Harris’s visit with the team, Broncos head coach Sean Payton downplayed it and said it was worthwhile to bring him in and that it was “easy” because he lived locally.

“We brought him in, and that would be it. He’s living here locally, so it was pretty easy, and we felt like it was worthwhile. We’ll probably have a few others that we look at bringing in, but nothing other than that. We’ll kind of go from there.”

Part of the reason the team may have passed on Shelby Harris is because of the recent emergence of Jonathan Harris. He is currently listed as the other starting defensive end opposite of Zach Allen and has been a breakout star during training camp.

After a training camp practice, Payton was asked about his impressions of Harris thus far throughout camp. He told reporters that he has been a guy who has “opened some eyes a little bit” and that he think he has done a good job.

“He’s a guy who has opened some eyes a little bit. It was a good play. I think it’s harder for that group just because we are just getting going. We are getting into the inside run periods, and we are getting into these team runs. So far, I think he’s done a good job.”

So, while it would have been nice to see the Broncos bring back Shelby Harris for another stint with the team, the team decided to go in another direction. Let us see how Jonathan Harris performs throughout the rest of training camp and the preseason before we start banging the table for another defensive lineman.