Why the KC Chiefs should re-sign Demetrius Harris

Demetrius Harris was a moderately productive backup for Travis Kelce for several seasons. After being released from the Cleveland Browns this week, the Kansas City Chiefs should consider bringing him back.

Former Kansas City Chiefs tight end Demetrius Harris is now a free agent, after playing only one season with the Cleveland Browns. It comes as somewhat of a surprise, as he was a respectably productive player for them as a backup tight end. That said, the Browns have a number of tight ends on the roster, and it seems they believe Harris was not a player they’d like to continue to invest in at his current cap hit.

Even though his tenure with the Browns was not a major success, and he wasn’t exactly a jaw-dropping producer for the Chiefs even with his great athleticism, he’s a player the Chiefs should consider bringing back. Following the departure of Harris, the Chiefs filled the gap by signing Blake Bell and using Deon Yelder sparingly in the passing game.

Both players struggled with consistency, only catching a combined 11 passes for 117 yards and zero touchdowns. Obviously, neither really materialized as a red zone threat for the Chiefs and it’s possible that this was partly to blame for the Chiefs’ red zone struggles during the season.

In comparison, Harris had a better season on a much worse offense loaded with tight ends. He caught 15 passes for 149 yards and 3 touchdowns, with an average 9.9 yards per reception. This was similar to his average production or the Chiefs of which he averaged 16 catches for 170 yards and 2 touchdowns his last three seasons with the team.

Truth be told, Harris is a fringe 53-man player. He’s not the type of backup tight end that can allow you to play 12 personnel constantly and expect him to produce. His ceiling is relatively low. However, his floor is also higher than the alternative as he’s a much more athletic player than either Bell or Yelder. He’s also a competent red zone threat having caught multiple touchdowns there in 2018, his last season with the Chiefs.

Bell is now an unrestricted free agent, and it’s very tough to see Deon Yelder stepping in as the full-time backup to Travis Kelce assuming the Chiefs tender him. It’s possible that the Chiefs draft a tight end on either day two or day three in this year’s draft. In the meantime Harris would likely be a cheap player who already knows the system and can give you moderate production as the backup.

With the number of large contracts this team will have on the books in the coming seasons, they’ll need as many players like Harris as they can get.