Demetrius Harris could play a large role in Cleveland Browns offense

The Cleveland Browns have plenty of weapons on their offense, but tight end Demetrius Harris could play a much larger role than expected.

The Cleveland Browns passing offense has the potential to be one of the most explosive in the entire league in 2019, especially with the pairing of Baker Mayfield and Odell Beckham Jr.

But what can help the Browns passing offense is the athleticism at tight end with David Njoku. Njoku has the size of a tight end, but the agility and speed of a wide receiver. With Njoku running the seams, he is a mismatch for most linebackers and safeties.

During his sophomore season in the NFL, Njoku became a bigger part of the Browns offense. He also had a better second half of the season after Freddie Kitchens took over as the offensive play-caller.

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Once Kitchens took over as the offensive coordinator, the Browns led the league running “13 personnel,” or having three tight ends on the field at the same time, for 29 percent of their snaps. They also frequently had two tight ends on the field simultaneously as well.

Because of Kitchens’ use of multiple tight ends in his offense, the Browns went out and signed free agent tight end Demetrius Harris, who John Dorsey signed during his time as the Kansas City Chiefs general manager.

Harris’ signing seemed like a depth signing at first, but he is expected to be slotted in as the No. 2 tight end behind Njoku. And he is likely to get many more opportunities in Cleveland than he did as the Chiefs’ No. 2 tight end behind Travis Kelce.

Last season, Harris only caught 12 passes for 164 yards and three touchdowns. But Kelce believes that Harris has a chance to shine in Cleveland because of his all-around abilities – via Nick Shook of ClevelandBrowns.com.

"“You want to talk about an all-around tight end? A guy that’s a freak of nature, athleticism, and then on top of that can get in the trenches and block any single player that you name in the National Football League. He’s a hidden gem and I think Cleveland got an unbelievable football player. It hurt me to see him go but I’m happy for him, happy for his new opportunity and can’t wait to see him play.” – Kelce via ClevelandBrowns.com"

If the Browns believe in Harris’ ability as much as Kelce, it is not hard to imagine Harris being on the field often in 2019. And based on last year’s No. 2 tight end Darren Fells being on the field for 38.5 percent of the team’s offensive snaps, Harris could slide right into that role.

Also, with how many weapons are on the Browns offense, Harris could find himself with plenty of openings to make plays in the passing game. Much like Njoku, Harris has the athleticism to create mismatches against linebackers and safeties.

Harris’ signing this offseason may not have jumped off the page, but he could be the Browns’ sneaky star in 2019, similar to Rashard Higgins last season. And if he can prove to be another dangerous weapon, it’s hard to imagine defenses finding ways to slow down Cleveland’s passing offense.