Chiefs offense: Three-tight end sets key to success

Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Demetrius Harris is returning from a foot injury that ended his 2014 season. He also had a staph infection that kept him out of practices throughout training camp and was activated to be able to practice before the St. Louis Rams game. He will more than likely take over the second tight end role when fully back into playing shape.

As a third-year player who played power forward in college basketball instead of football, he has made the transition to playing tight end in the NFL. He is not as polished as a lot of tight ends coming out of college but has the size, speed and athleticism to be dangerous running routes.

With Harris in a three-tight end set last season, Alex Smith had a quarterback rating of 129.1. This wasn’t all Harris, or even mostly Harris, but his presence on the field opened up a lot of options for the Chiefs. If Harris can improve his blocking and catch a few more passes this season the Chiefs offense will be very hard to defend. In most situations he will not be called upon to be the first or second option on a play but he needs to show that he is capable of producing when his number is called.

Next: TE - Brian Parker and the Use of the 3TE set