Demetrius Harris (born July 29, 1991) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wit ...

tight end The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense (sports), offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide ...

who is a free agent. He played

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee The University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee (UW–Milwaukee, UWM, or Milwaukee) is a public urban research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It is the largest university in the Milwaukee metropolitan area and a member of the University of Wiscon ...

, which has no college football program. He was signed by the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The t ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

in 2013.

College career

After a standout high school career at Jacksonville High School in

Jacksonville, Arkansas Jacksonville is a city in Pulaski County, Arkansas, United States, and a suburb of Little Rock. As of the 2010 census, the population of the city was 28,364. It is part of the Little Rock– North Little Rock– Conway Metropolitan Statistical ...

, where he made All-State in both football and

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

, Harris originally signed with

Arkansas State Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...

to play football, but, after failing to qualify academically, he decided to switch to basketball instead. Attending

Mineral Area College Mineral Area College is a public community college in Park Hills, Missouri. Students can complete a wide variety of certificate and 2-year degree programs. Students may transfer to four-year institutions to complete bachelor's degree programs or th ...

, Harris played basketball for two seasons, before transferring to

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...

for his final two eligible seasons. After playing off the bench his junior year, Harris was a starter his senior year, starting in 28 of 32 games. Despite the Panthers having a lowly 8–24 record, Harris finished 9th in the

Horizon League The Horizon League is an 11-school collegiate athletic conference in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I, whose members are located in and near the Great Lakes region. The Horizon League founded in 1979 as the Midw ...

in field goal shooting (46.9%) and led the Panthers in rebounds. After the conclusion of the basketball season, even though he had not played organized football since high school, NFL scouts showed interest in Harris playing football again, citing his size (6'7", 230 lb.) as ideal for the tight end position. Among the teams that showed interest in Harris included the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays it ...

, and

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divis ...

. To show off his skills for scouts, he held a workout with the Milwaukee Panthers football club team, otherwise known as MPFC.

Professional career

Kansas City Chiefs

2013–2015 seasons

Harris was signed by the

after going

undrafted In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

in the

2013 NFL Draft The 2013 NFL Draft was the 78th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall i ...

. After spending his 2013 season on the Chiefs' practice squad, Harris made the official roster in 2014, though his rookie season was cut short by a broken foot, ending his season after eight games. In the 2015 season, Harris caught seven passes for 74 yards as a backup tight end, mainly used for blocking. Harris caught his first NFL touchdown pass, a 15-yard reception from quarterback

Alex Smith Alexander Douglas Smith (born May 7, 1984) is an American former quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons. He played college football at Utah, where he received first-team All-American honors and won the 20 ...

, on the final game of the regular season, against the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Ra ...

. On January 8, 2016, Harris signed a three-year, $6.3 million contract extension.

2016 season

In the 2016 season, on

Christmas Day Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...

, against the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...

, Harris caught a one-yard touchdown pass from

Dontari Poe Dontari Poe (born August 18, 1990) is a former American football nose tackle. He played college football at Memphis and was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs 11th overall in the 2012 NFL Draft. Though primarily a defensive lineman, at 6 f ...

, who became the largest player in NFL history to throw a touchdown, in the fourth quarter. He appeared in all 16 games, of which started 11, in the 2017 season. He totaled 17 receptions for 123 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown.

2017 season

In the 2017 season opening 42–27 victory against the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

, Harris caught the first receiving touchdown of the NFL season with a seven-yard reception from quarterback

in the first quarter. He appeared in all 16 games, of which he started seven, in the 2017 season. He totaled 18 receptions for 224 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown.

2018 season

On May 22, 2018, Harris was suspended the first game of the 2018 season after pleading guilty to a marijuana possession misdemeanor in March 2017. He appeared in 15 games, of which he started three, in the 2018 season. He finished with 12 receptions for 164 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns.

Cleveland Browns

On March 14, 2019, Harris signed a two-year, $6 million contract with the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...

. He appeared in 15 games, of which he started six. He finished with 15 receptions for 149 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns. Harris was released by the Browns on February 17, 2020.

Chicago Bears

On February 19, 2020, Harris was signed by the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine ...

Arizona Cardinals

On August 11, 2021, Harris signed with the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division, an ...

NFL career statistics

References

External links

Chicago Bears bio

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, Demetrius 1991 births Living people American football tight ends American men's basketball players Arizona Cardinals players Basketball players from Arkansas Chicago Bears players Cleveland Browns players Forwards (basketball) Junior college men's basketball players in the United States Kansas City Chiefs players Milwaukee Panthers men's basketball players Mineral Area College alumni People from Jacksonville, Arkansas Players of American football from Arkansas Sportspeople from Pulaski County, Arkansas