Browns Release Tight End Who Played for Matt Nagy
The release Monday of tight end Demetrius Harris by the Cleveland Browns could give the Chicago Bears an opportunity to add someone with experience at a key position in their offense.
It's also the position of one of their most embattled players. Harris is a Y-tight end, which is where Adam Shaheen plays.
Bears GM Ryan Pace has already said Shaheen will be back in camp because he has a contract. So it would be a good competitive situation to bring in a veteran like Harris, who has played tight end already in this offense with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Harris played tight end with the Chiefs from 2014-2018, including the 2017 season when Matt Nagy was offensive coordinator.
Harris has never been a full-time starter, but has played an extensive amount in the Andy Reid style of offense. He played 45% of the snaps in 2016 and 47% in 2017. Between 2015-1018 he never played less than 34% of the offensive snaps for the Chiefs, then left as a free agent for Cleveland on a two-year contract worth an average of $5.97 million.
The Browns likely had expected more than the 15 receptions for 149 yards they got from Harris last year.
Harris didn't play college football. He went to Wisconsin-Milwaukee as a basketball player and signed with the Chiefs.
Even while Harris hasn't had a big role the past two seasons, he did continue making plays in the red zone. At 6-foot-7, 230, it is one of his strengths. He had three touchdown catches each of the last two seasons.
Whether the Bears would be interested or not depends on whether they would be bothered by some other things in Harris' past.
He was arrested on marijuana possession charge in 2017 with the Chiefs and served a one-game NFL drug policy violation suspension the next season.
Harris has 72 receptions on 754 yards and nine TDs. Although he's a bit undersized in terms of weight and was a basketbal player, Harris' blocking has been regarded as a strength throughout his career.
Whether the Bears would be interested isn't known. If they thought Harris offered anything, they could have been involved in the hunt for his services before the Browns signed him.
Also cut by the Browns on Tuesday was former Bears guard Eric Kush, who started 11 games and played in 23 with the Bears in 2016 and 2018 before leaving prior to last season to go to Cleveland.
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