4. Demetrius Harris/James O’Shaughnessy – Tight End
The Chiefs have one of the best tight ends in the NFL in starter Travis Kelce. After Kelce they have…………(crickets). You get my point. With the tight end being a key part of Andy Reid’s offense and a popular target for quarterback Alex Smith if (knocks on wood) Kelce were to miss a significant amount of time the Chiefs would be in big trouble if someone didn’t step up and fill that void. Since KC didn’t add any realistic options this offseason the only real contenders for the number two tight end are Demetrius Harris and James O’Shaughnessy.
Demetrius Harris is entering his fourth season with the Chiefs organization. He spent 2013 on the practice squad after playing basketball in college at Wisconsin-Milwaukee. The past two seasons he’s played some, but his blocking is still a work in progress and he only has ten career receptions in the 24 games he’s been active. He has shown flashes at times making acrobatic catches for a man that’s 6-foot-7 but he also has some drops that are concerning considering that he’s primarily a pass catcher. That having been said, it is understandable that it would take Harris a while to develop since he isn’t coming from a football background. If he can bulk up a little to help him as a blocker and be a more consistent pass catcher he could become a legit weapon in KC’s offense.
The other contender for the number two tight end is second year man James O’Shaughnessy. O’Shaughnessy is a little undersized at 6-foot-4 and 245 pounds. That didn’t stop him from earning some playing time as a rookie. His season was cut short by injury. Still, he only had one less reception than Harris did despite being active in nine less games. O’Shaughnessy may not have the ideal size but he does put in good effort as a blocker. If O’Shaughnessy is fully recovered and maybe added a little more muscle mass to his frame he may be the more likely option for KC. I was a big fan of his going into the NFL draft last year and I’m personally hoping he steps up and carves out a role for himself in the offense this season even if Travis Kelce is healthy all season.
Next up, the wideout that needs to lock down the number two wide receiver spot.
Next: Chris Conley