Duron Harmon goes from delivery room to practice squad to veteran among Browns safeties

BEREA — Duron Harmon had just one request when the Browns initially called to ask the veteran safety to join their roster.

"I said, just let me get the baby out first," Harmon said Friday.

No, the 11-year pro and three-time Super Bowl champion hadn't changed professions to become an obstetrician. Instead, Harmon's wife Christian was expecting the couple's latest child in Chicago when the Browns called looking for a veteran safety to add to their practice squad.

As much as Harmon's adult life has revolved around football, even the offer to join a new team had to wait for the newest addition to his family. So the conversations that started on Nov. 20 wouldn't come to a resolution for another two days while he awaited his fifth child.

"I think my wife, she was due that Monday," Harmon said, "they called me on Monday as we're in the delivery room, we're going in and my wife and my agent called, and then we just kind of made a decision. … And then they were good about it. They've been really good about letting me go see my family and stuff when time was permitted. And yeah, I was here Wednesday morning, the first flight out, and in practice as soon as I got here."

The three-time Super Bowl champion arrived initially to provide a little extra veteran depth to the safety position after another veteran, Rodney McLeod, sustained a season-ending bicep injury. That need has gotten much more pronounced in the three weeks since Harmon signed with the Browns.

In that span, the Browns have also lost their other two starting safeties, Grant Delpit and Juan Thornhill, to injuries. Delpit is on injured reserve due to a groin injury suffered this past Sunday against Jacksonville, while Thornhill will miss his second consecutive game with a calf injury.

That's opened the door for Harmon to go from late practice-squad addition to veteran presence for what is now an even younger safety group. The Browns are expected to start a rookie in Ronnie Hickman and a second-year pro in D'Anthony Bell when they host the Chicago Bears on Sunday.

"My role is to do whatever they ask and ... it's just be myself," Harmon said. "I'm privileged enough to have been in this game for 11 years, so I've seen some things. But another thing is I can still play football. So whenever my number is called, I'll be ready to go."

That includes while standing in the delivery room of a Chicago hospital. Or, as will be the case this Sunday, standing on the field against the Chicago Bears.

The immediacy with which Harmon responded was part of what endeared him immediately to the Browns. Maybe the only one who has endeared themselves more to Harmon's new coaches is his wife with what she's dealing with taking care of the five kids back in Chicago.

"He's had a lot on his plate," safeties coach Ephraim Banda said. "New baby at home and ... got on the plane and flew here. It's been a lot for him. God bless his wife. She's a saint for sure."

What the Browns need from Harmon is not necessarily to be a saint. Instead, they need a stabilizing presence for the safety group.

What better kind of stabilizing presence than a player who played in four Super Bowls and won three of them while with the New England Patriots for the first seven seasons of his career. It's not just experience, but also production, as Harmon's had at least one interception over each of his first 10 season, accumulating 23 for his career so far.

"That guy's done a lot in the league," defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz said. "He's played a lot of football. He's seen a lot of things. His eyes are important to us and then his ability to go in and execute. He's fairly new to us, but he was able to pick our system up. ... It's just a matter of everything that we do he's done at some point of his career."

Harmon's career since leaving the Patriots includes stops for one season in Detroit (2020), Atlanta (2021) and Las Vegas (2022). He also appeared in two games this season with the Bears, recording six total tackles in games against the Los Angeles Chargers (Week 8) and New Orleans Saints (Week 9).

Now, Harmon's career journey has brought him to the Browns as they try to plug the holes opened up injuries and navigate their way into the playoffs. It's the perfect opportunity for a veteran, who's not ready to hang it up, to show he's not close to being done as well.

"That's the thing, the older you get, you have to continue to prove yourself even more because there's always a new batch of younger players that are coming in each year," Harmon said. "So you have to show not just your coaches, but the entire league that, all right, this guy, even though he's up in age 32, 33, he can still play football at a high level."

Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on Twitter at @ceasterlingABJ

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Duron Harmon looks to deliver veteran aid to depleted Browns safeties