Demetrius Harris

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/10/21

Here are Wednesday’s minor moves, with the list being updated throughout the day:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals 

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

  • Signed: K Lirim Hajrullahu

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Indianapolis Colts

Las Vegas Raiders

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/3/21

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Dallas Cowboys

Houston Texans

Los Angeles Rams

Minnesota Vikings

New York Giants

San Francisco 49ers

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/10/21

Here are Tuesday’s minor moves, with the list being updated throughout the day:

Arizona Cardinals

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

  • Waived: FB Mikey Daniel

Chicago Bears

Houston Texans

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Rams

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

  • Released from IR via injury settlement: G Anthony Coyle

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Bears To Sign Demetrius Harris

The Bears have agreed to sign tight end Demetrius Harris to a one-year deal, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Harris was let go by the Browns earlier this week, allowing him to reach free agency right away rather than waiting until March. 

Harris has history with head coach Matt Nagy. When Nagy was in command of the Chiefs offense, Harris was featured as a regular. In 2016 and 2017 – Nagy’s two seasons as OC – Harris caught a combined 35 passes for 347 yards and two touchdowns.

Harris flashed athleticism in Kansas City, but he didn’t progress as expected when he joined the Browns as a free agent in 2019. After he notched just 15 grabs for 149 yards and three touchdowns, the Browns terminated the second half of his deal.

Last year, Bears tight ends Trey BurtonAdam Shaheen, and Ben Braunecker all finished the season on injured reserve. Harris might not be the team’s No. 1 TE, but he could be a part of the solution.

Browns Release Carrie, Harris, Kush

The Browns are in the midst of some serious spring cleaning. On Monday, the Browns announced that they’ve cut cornerback T.J. Carrie, tight end Demetrius Harris, and guard Eric Kush, in addition to the previously reported release of linebacker Adarius Taylor.

In total, the moves will open up more than $13MM in cap room for the Browns with less than $4MM in dead money left over. It’s yet another signal that the club is committed to a significant roster haul under the guidance of new head coach Kevin Stefanski and GM Andrew Berry. All four released players were brought on board by former GM John Dorsey.

Carrie joined the Browns on a four-year deal in 2018 after turning in a strong contract year as the Raiders’ slot cornerback. Over the past two seasons, he’s appeared in every possible game and started in 14 of those contests. Last year, he notched 52 tackles and one interception, but he was unable to get into a rhythm and his coverage was nowhere near his best work in Oakland.

Harris, too, will see his contract terminated at the midway point. In his lone Browns season, he had 15 grabs for 149 yards and three scores. On the line, Kush had a perfect attendance record and started seven times, but the advanced metrics painted him as one of the worst qualified interior linemen in the NFL.

While those four players will be let go, much of the Browns’ core will remain in tact. At his introductory presser, Berry indicated that Odell Beckham Jr. will probably not be traded, despite all of the speculation. The latest misstep of running back Kareem Hunt, meanwhile, won’t rule him out for 2020.

Contract Details: Taylor, Wright, Harris, Lutz

Some assorted contract details from the around the NFL:

Browns To Sign TE Demetrius Harris

The Browns have reached a two-year agreement with former Chiefs tight end Demetrius Harris, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

Cleveland, of course, traded for Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. last night, adding a clear No. 1 option to its Baker Mayfield-led offense. Harris won’t have the impact of OBJ, but he’ll give the Browns a competent second tight end behind starter David Njoku. Njoku played roughly 80% of Cleveland’s offensive snaps, while incumbent backup tight end Orson Charles saw action on ~15% of plays.

Harris was a basketball player at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, but NFL teams were intrigued by his 6’7″ stature. He signed with the Chiefs in 2013 as an undrafted free agent, but didn’t see the field until the 2015 campaign. Harris saw regular action in each of the past three years, missing only one game during that time, but he wasn’t a key factor in Kansas City’s offense, as he averaged only 15 receptions and 170 yards in that span. A major contributor on special teams, Harris played on more than 80% of the Chiefs ST snaps a year ago.

Chiefs Cut Down To Final 53

In addition to David Amerson, the Chiefs will release longtime depth cog Frank Zombo.

The outside linebacker’s been in Kansas City since the Andy Reid regime began in 2013. He started 11 games in 2016, when Justin Houston missed most of the season with knee trouble, but will not be part of the 2018 team. The Chiefs drafted Breeland Speaks in the second round and plan to use 2017 second-rounder Tanoh Kpassagnon more extensively than they did last season.

Here’s the full list of players who won’t be on Kansas City’s initial 53-man roster.

Released:

Waived:

Placed on IR:

Suspended:

AFC West Notes: Chiefs, Ingram, Raiders

Having funneled their pass offense through Travis Kelce for several seasons and having not invested much in their No. 2 wide receiver job in many years, the Chiefs surprised most observers by authorizing a monster contract for Sammy Watkins. The fifth-year wideout’s three-year, $48MM deal — with $30MM guaranteed — is having a league-wide effect, Joel Corry of CBS Sports writes. Julio Jones, who is signed to a $14.25MM-per-year deal, is now seeking additional dollars. And Corry adds Odell Beckham Jr.‘s hopes to become the league’s first $20MM-AAV wide receiver is not a crazy demand anymore now that Watkins has signed a top-five contract without supplying production to justify it. Corry adds that Watkins’ $16MM-AAV contract will become Brandin Cooks‘ floor, assuming he fares well in Los Angeles this season.

As for the Chiefs, Watkins justifying the contract could be difficult, as Corry writes, since the newcomer may be the No. 4 option in his next offense. Kelce and Kareem Hunt are entrenched as the top components of Kansas City’s attack, and Tyreek Hill put together a strong 2017 featuring 1,183 air yards and seven touchdowns. Watkins caught 39 passes for 583 yards last season, and his career-best numbers were 1,047 and nine with the 2015 Bills. Hill becomes extension-eligible after this season and his contract expires after 2019. Those talks could be tricky if he outproduces Watkins this season. Only two teams — the Packers and Broncos — are paying two wideouts eight figures annually, and the Chiefs could be set to encounter an interesting dilemma once Hill talks begin.

Here’s the latest from the AFC West:

  • Melvin Ingram may not be attending the Chargers‘ OTA sessions. The star pass rusher missed Tuesday’s session and is training in Florida, Eric Williams of ESPN.com reports, adding that Ingram cleared his absence with Anthony Lynn. Ingram skipped the start of these workouts last year, but he was not under contract because he had yet to sign his franchise tender. He’s now signed a long-term Bolts deal.
  • Bruce Irvin played as a 4-3 outside linebacker the past two seasons with the Raiders, but new DC Paul Guenther is moving him to defensive end, Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com notes (on Twitter). Irvin often played end during his first two seasons in Oakland, but did so in sub-packages while lining up as a stand-up ‘backer in most base sets, similar to the Broncos’ usage of Von Miller from 2011-14. Irvin began his career as a defensive end before the Seahawks relocated him. Now that Irvin is at end, Gutierrez notes Tahir Whitehead and Emmanuel Lamur lined up as outside linebackers with the Raiders’ first-stringers at Tuesday’s OTA session.
  • Also at Raiders OTAs, Gareon Conley participated fully, per Gutierrez. A shin injury wiped out most of the 2017 first-rounder’s rookie season, and only recently did the former Ohio State standout receive full clearance.
  • Donald Penn will be limited during these workouts, with Gutierrez noting the longtime Oakland left tackle is still recovering from Lisfranc surgery. Penn is not expected to be ready to participate fully until training camp. For now, second-year player David Sharpe took the reps in 11-on-11 work while Breno Giacomini opened with the starters at right tackle. The Raiders are planning to have Kolton Miller train as a left tackle to start his career.
  • The Chiefs will be without their backup tight end in Week 1. Demetrius Harris received a one-game suspension for a 2017 marijuana arrest that induced a multi-day jail stay, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Harris established new career-high marks last season with 18 receptions for 224 yards. The Chiefs added former Jets second-rounder Jace Amaro this offseason, but Harris has been with the team for the past four seasons. Amaro hasn’t played since 2016.
  • Clinton McDonald did not participate in Broncos OTAs on Tuesday, and Mike Klis of 9News notes the veteran defensive lineman is still recovering from a March shoulder operation. The Broncos knew of this procedure when they signed him in March, per Klis. He adds McDonald is expected to be ready for camp.

Extra Points: Bouye, Landry, Marshall, Mixon

A.J. Bouye‘s staggering rise from unknown RFA to one of the most coveted UFAs on this year’s market did not come completely unbeknownst to the Texans. Houston offered its undrafted gem a multiyear contract in 2016 at a “significant raise,” but Bouye opted to bet on himself, Peter King of TheMMQB.com reports. Bouye signed the low-end RFA tender last March, worth $1.67MM, setting up his dominant breakout campaign. His market is set to be north of $12MM per year as Day 2 of the legal tampering period gets underway, and while the Texans are in on it, they could lose him to a division rival.

Here’s more from around the league with free agency barely a day away.

  • The Dolphins have received trade inquiries on wide receiver Jarvis Landry, Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald writes. However, the team has no real interest in trading him. Late in their 2016 season, the Dolphins were working on an extension plan for their slot target, so it’s a good bet the team’s most consistent weapon stays in Miami. The two-time Pro Bowl wideout has posted back-to-back 1,100-yard seasons, doing so in two different schemes.
  • The prospect of staying in New York would on the surface allow Brandon Marshall to continue being a rare in-season media regular, but Judy Battista of NFL.com notes (on Twitter) the Giants and Jets’ schedules aren’t structured equally. Inside the NFL tapes on Tuesdays, when many teams give their players off days, but Battista points out the Giants work on Tuesdays. This might not be a deal-breaker, though, with Marshall having established himself on the long-running weekly show the past two years and signing with the only other team that would keep him in the city.
  • Between Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, Oklahoma running back Joe Mixon is set to meet with 24 teams in total as a part of his pro day gauntlet, Albert Breer of The MMQB tweets. Mixon met with the Bengals, Browns, Lions and Saints on Tuesday night, per Aditi Kinkhabwala of NFL.com (via Twitter), in advance of what will be a critical showcase for the controversial running back.
  • Chiefs tight end Demetrius Harris was arrested for felony possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia, Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star tweets. A converted basketball player, Harris saw his role increase last season. The third-year pass-catcher saw 476 snaps and caught 17 passes for 123 yards and a touchdown, but Pro Football Focus graded him as its worst full-time tight end.
  • Chris Banjo‘s two-year deal with the Saints will pay him $2.6MM with another $500K available through incentives, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

Sam Robinson contributed to this report.