The Kansas City Chiefs reportedly hosted tight end Neal Sterling a few days ago as they look for potential replacements for Demetrius Harris.
It seems as though we missed an under-the-radar visit to Arrowhead Stadium by tight end Neal Sterling a few days ago. Howard Balzer is reporting that Sterling was visiting the Kansas City Chiefs around the same time that cornerback Darqueze Dennard was in town.
Dennard ultimately re-signed with the Cincinnati Bengals, his original franchise, but Sterling remains a free agent option for the Chiefs to sign if they were hopeful to fill the hole at tight end on the depth chart before the draft.
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Sterling has actually been with the Chiefs before as a practice squad player in 2017, but the New York Jets signed him away. He’s been with the Jets for the last two years after spending two years with the Jacksonville Jaguars as well. As a fullback/tight end option, Sterling played in 35 career games with both franchises. He has no career rushing attempts, but he’s caught 24 passes for 239 yards.
The Chiefs have three tight ends on the roster, but two of those are longshots to make the team. Travis Kelce remains the obvious starter and NFL All-Pro, but his longtime backup Demetrius Harris took a new deal with the Cleveland Browns.
Deon Yelder remains the holdover from last year as the team’s third tight end. He was protected as an inactive each week on the active roster, and perhaps he’s a hidden gem that the coaching staff is excited about. Offseason training activities will help sift through the talent as rookies and roster invites come together to compete against each other and show what they can do.
David Wells is the other name on the list, a practice squad holdover who’s managed to stay with the team for the last seven months.
Given the lack of experience or reliability on the depth chart, expect the Chiefs to make a move to bring in veteran competition. It also wouldn’t surprise anyone to see Brett Veach invest a mid-round pick in a tight end to elevate the ceiling behind Kelce in case of injury (or to spread the offense in two-tight end sets).