Kansas City Chiefs: Demetrius Harris’ role will be diminished in 2018
By Chris Taylor
The Kansas City Chiefs have a plethora of playmakers on offense. What does this mean for Demetrius Harris? Little to no role in 2018 more than likely.
Fans of the Kansas City Chiefs were certain that there would be a new tight end lining up opposite of Travis Kelce in 2018. Whether it be from the draft or someone like Ben Watson who came in for a visit, most figured that Demetrius Harris would be on the outside looking in.
Harris is a unique player for the Chiefs. He has talent and more times than not he does what is asked of him. His inability to catch wide open passes leaves a sour feeling with Kansas City Chiefs fans.
In 2018, fans probably need not worry. When the Chiefs signed Sammy Watkins, that meant the majority of targets were already accounted for. Travis Kelce, Tyreek Hill, and now Sammy Watkins are the three go-to guys for Patrick Mahomes. Everyone else is second fiddle.
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Sure, Chris Conley will make some catches, Demarcus Robinson as well. Don’t forget the running backs either. Each running back on the roster is capable of catching out of the backfield.
That doesn’t leave much hope for Harris. He would probably be listed as the No. 8 go-to guy in this offense as it stands. The two tight end set is not really Mahomes forte, although we are sure to see it in running situations.
Harris can still be targeted in audible situations and goal-line offenses, but his total number of targets will probably fall way short of 20.
Going into his fifth season, it is important to remember that Harris was an experiment coming out of college. The Chiefs vested quite a bit of energy into Harris, and the payback has been, semi-satisfactory thus far.
Over four seasons Harris has totals of 45 catches on 82 targets for 441 yards and three touchdowns.
His catch percentage is under 60%, which is pretty awful for NFL standards. The more he is targeted, the more he doesn’t catch. He has a knack for making the hard catches and dropping the easy ones.
Harris is also serving a one-game suspension at the beginning of the year. So he is starting late, drops passes, and can’t stay out of trouble. These are not the characteristics of a man fighting for his job.
There is an awful lot standing in Harris’ way this season. Hopefully, when the opportunity does present itself, he takes full advantage and makes the most out of them.
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All in all, Harris has been a below average tight end since he came into the league, fans are probably just looking for him to be average at this point.
*Note: All statistics are credited to pro-football-reference.com