The NFL pulled a major U-turn on defensive tackle Zxavian Harris, telling all 32 teams Monday he is now an eligible free agent. This is a wild flip-flop from their initial ruling that would have kept Harris off the field for the entire season.
From NFL Roster Hopeful to College Controversy
Harris’s journey has been a rollercoaster. After going undrafted in the 2026 NFL Draft, he managed to sign a deal with the New Orleans Saints. That dream run ended quickly, though, as he was waived by the team in August. That’s when things got messy. Harris and tight end Dae’Quan Wright, who himself had spent time with the Philadelphia Eagles and Cleveland Browns before being waived in late August, both tried to join Lane Kiffin at LSU. They were looking for a fifth year of college eligibility to keep playing football.
This move sparked a massive back-and-forth between the players, LSU, the SEC, and the NCAA. In the end, LSU decided to play it safe and avoid any drama with the SEC, leaving both Harris and Wright off their roster. Then came the first big blow from the NFL: a ruling that declared both players ineligible to sign with *any* NFL team in 2026 because they tried to return to college. Talk about a rough break.
A Sudden Green Light For One, Red Light For The Other
But hold up! Fast forward to this Monday, and suddenly, Harris’s NFL future is back on the table. The NFL reversed its initial decision for Harris. The league determined that he didn’t actually participate in a single practice or play in a single game for LSU. That was the magic bullet, apparently. Because of that specific detail, Harris is now an eligible free agent.
However, and this is where it gets really messy, Dae’Quan Wright was not mentioned in the league’s memo. He’s still stuck in eligibility limbo, remaining ineligible to sign with an NFL team. One guy gets a lifeline, the other is left hanging. What a brutal twist for Wright, and a surprising turn for Harris.
Now that he’s eligible, the biggest question is whether Harris will actually get signed. Before all this controversy, he was on teams’ radars, sure, but he wasn’t good enough to make a final 53-man roster anywhere. It’s possible he draws attention now as a potential practice squad player, but nothing is certain. After all that drama, he’s got another shot. We’ll be watching to see if any team takes a flyer on him.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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