The Kansas City Chiefs will have a full depth chart at tight end to work with against the Pittsburgh Steelers with the return of Demetrius Harris from suspension.
After serving a one-game suspension to open the season, tight end Demetrius Harris is now able to return to the Kansas City Chiefs as they prepare to face the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 2.
Back in March, Harris was sentenced to two days in jail plus additional probation, fines and community service for two misdemeanors—both involving marijuana possession—in Bates County, Missouri. In May, the league announced a one-game suspension for Harris that would keep him out for Week 1 against the Los Angeles Chargers. Now he’s returned and able to join both Travis Kelce and Alex Ellis on the depth chart.
Harris’s return will further open up some offensive possibilities for the Chiefs that include two tight end sets that perhaps a less experienced or dependable Ellis was not yet ready to employ. Then again, the tight end was rarely utilized at all last week as second-year quarterback Patrick Mahomes showed clear chemistry and favoritism with his wide receivers—specifically Tyreek Hill who racked up 169 receiving yards to go with his two touchdowns. Kelce ended the day with a single catch for six yards.
Moving forward, those numbers and stats will certainly shift, and Kelce will certainly get his share of targets. It will be interesting to track how much Mahomes relies on his tight ends and learns to utilize the mismatches provided by Kelce and Harris both within Andy Reid’s offense.
Harris had 18 catches on 35 targets for 224 yards and 1 touchdown while playing in all 16 games played last season for the Chiefs.