The Bears’ efforts to upgrade their tight end room will begin with a familiar face to coach for Matt Nagy.
Demetrius Harris, who played with the Cleveland Browns in 2019 but was with the Kansas City Chiefs from 2014-2018, agreed to terms with the Bears on Wednesday, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport:
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The 6-foot-7, 230 pound Harris does not come to Chicago with significant pass catching experience. He caught 15 passes for 149 yards for the Browns in 2019, and set career highs in 2017 with 18 receptions and 224 yards (while Nagy was the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator).
Based on what Harris did with the Chiefs in 2017, the Bears likely see him as a versatile backup who can primarily play the “Y” (in-line) tight end spot. The majority of Harris’ snaps (318) that year came in-line, per Pro Football Focus, while he also lined up in the slot and out wide 198 times.
Harris, an athletic former basketball player at Wisconsin-Milwaukee, also comes to the Bears with good special teams experience. He played 299 special teams snaps for the Browns last year, 60th most in the NFL.
The Browns signed Harris to a two-year, $6 million deal last offseason but cut him earlier this week.
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Signing Harris certainly will not be the only move the Bears make to overhaul a group of tight ends that severely hindered Nagy’s offense in 2019. The Bears could still use a true No. 1 “Y” tight end, while also improving their depth at the “U” behind Trey Burton, who landed on injured reserve and was never healthy last year.
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