Browns LT Desmond Harrison: The improbable untold story of the next man up to replace Joe Thomas
By Mary Kay Cabot, cleveland.com | Posted September 06, 2018 at 08:14 PM
https://www.cleveland.com/expo/sports/er...rrison-the.html BEREA, Ohio - Almost exactly one year ago, Browns rookie offensive lineman Desmond Harrison retweeted a story about former Browns left tackle Joe Thomas becoming the only player in NFL history to play 10,000 consecutive snaps, using a flexed-muscle emoji to celebrate the the incredible feat.
Little did he know at the time that he'd be gearing up to likely replace the future Hall of Famer when the Browns open the season Sunday against the Steelers at FirstEnergy Stadium - as an undrafted rookie. Hue Jackson will make the announcement on Friday, but signs are pointing to Harrison getting the nod over Joel Bitonio, who will slide over a spot back to left guard.
That Harrison (6-6, 295) is even on an NFL roster after veering so far off track is remarkable.
After getting kicked out of Texas following the 2014 season - a year in which he was suspended three times, tested positive a few times for weed, got shot in the upper thigh, and never saw the field - he sat out of football for two more years, trying to figure out his next move. It seemed that football might be over for him, but he never gave up.
He put his head down, relied on his faith and worked his way back onto the football field, this time at tiny Division II West Georgia on the border of Georgia and Alabama. It wasn't the enormous stage of Texas, but it was just what the big man needed to get his life and football career back on track.
After Harrison, 24, went undrafted because of off-the-field concerns and a failed drug at the NFL Combine according to Bleacher Report's Matt Miller, the Browns scrambled to sign him as a free agent, beating the Giants to the punch.
Now, he's got a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to step in for Ironman Joe Thomas and erase those three lost years.
"I had a first-round grade on him,'' said one longtime NFL scout. "There's not 16 better starting left tackles in the league than this kid if he can do the right things.''
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