Alabama’s Ronnie Harrison gets a new NFL team

Alabama’s Ronnie Harrison gets a new NFL team

Safety Ronnie Harrison has a place to play his sixth NFL season after signing with the Indianapolis Colts on Monday.

Harrison had been an unrestricted free agent since March 15.

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Harrison played in 16 games, with five starts, for the Cleveland Browns in 2022, when he was on the field for a career-low 259 defensive snaps while also appearing on 152 special-teams plays.

The former Alabama defensive back joins a position group in Indianapolis that seemed well-stocked earlier this year.

But projected safety starters Julian Blackmon and Rodney Thomas II are dealing with injuries right now – hamstring for Blackmon and toe for Thomas – and fifth-round draft choice Daniel Scott already has sustained a season-ending knee injury.

Harrison entered the NFL with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2018 as a third-round draft choice from Alabama’s 2017 CFP national-championship team.

After he started 22 games in two seasons with Jacksonville, Harrison went to the Browns in a Sept. 3, 2020, trade, just 10 days before Cleveland kicked off its season.

Harrison reached Cleveland’s starting lineup in the fifth game of the 2020 season and made an immediate impact with a 47-yard interception return for a touchdown in a 32-23 victory over the Colts. A concussion and a knee injury caused him to miss five games after reaching the starting lineup, including the final four of the regular season. Harrison made it back on the field for the Browns’ two playoff games.

In 2021, Harrison played in 12 games and started 11 in the Cleveland secondary before an ankle injury caused him to miss the final five games. In 2022, safeties Grant Delpit and John Johnson played more than 1,000 defensive snaps apiece for the Browns.

In 67 NFL regular-season games, with 45 starts, Harrison has 223 tackles, 5.5 sacks, nine tackles for loss, five interceptions, 23 passes defended and two forced fumbles.

Indianapolis waived safety Aaron Maddox, an undrafted rookie, to open a roster spot for Harrison.

The Colts will play the second of their three preseason games at 6 p.m. CDT Saturday, when the Chicago Bears visit Lucas Oil Stadium.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.