Chiefs remove Demetrius Harris from PUP list

The Kansas City Chiefs practiced on Sunday, and some very good news came out of it. Reserve tight end Demetrius Harris returned to the field for the first time throughout training camp, according to Terez Paylor of the Kansas City Star. Harris has been recovering from multiple foot surgeries as a result of an injury sustained last November against the Buffalo Bills.

Harris is an important player in Andy Reid’s offense. Reid, more than most coaches, loves to run two and three-tight end sets. The Chiefs have a stud in Travis Kelce, but behind him the depth chart becomes very uncertain. Harris has been in the system has been in the system since 2013, when he was signed as an undrafted rookie free-agent out of the University of Milwaukee.

The 24-year-old has great size at 6-foot-7 and 230 pounds. After playing basketball in college, there is no question about his athleticism and his presence made the choice of releasing Anthony Fasano a bit easier this offseason. However, Harris now has to translate his talent and potential into production. Last year, Harris played in eight games and caught three passes for 20 yards before going on injured reserve.

It is expected that Harris will slide into the second spot on the depth chart behind Kelce and ahead of fifth-round pick James O’Shaughnessy. This also impacts tight end Ryan Taylor, who has enjoyed a nice preseason for Kansas City. It is very unlikely that Harris stays on the roster if Harris is ready to play Week 1 against the Houston Texans.

As for the other injured players, De’Anthony Thomas was reportedly going to attempt playing on Sunday. However, Jeff Allen, Junior Hemingway, Dontari Poe, Tyler Bray, Eric Fisher, Jason Avant, Josh Mauga and Albert Wilson are still sidelined with various injuries.