In outlining the reasons his first foray into free agency concluded with a contract in Kansas City, tight end Ricky Seals-Jones mentioned the usual cast of characters. Catching passes from Patrick Mahomes is a draw; the thought of sharing a position group with Travis Kelce is appealing; coach Andy Reid can diagram a play to get anyone open, he added.
But one of the biggest pulls _ the final selling points, if you will _ came from a former Chiefs player, not a current one.
Demetrius Harris.
Seals-Jones and Harris played together in Cleveland last season, and as the former thought about the possibility of signing with the Chiefs this month, he remembered some conversations with fellow tight end Harris.
"Demetrius loved it. For me, that kinda of played a part of it, too _ Demetrius telling me stories about Kansas City and how the organization is and the locker room," Seals-Jones. "That's kind of an no-brainer. ... Coming from Demetrius, it was good to have someone that had already been there and that I'd already those conversations with to give you that over-the-top answer you're looking for."
The conversations took place over the previous season, but they became all the more important in the present. Seals-Jones, like other NFL free agents, couldn't visit on-site facilities for those teams that had expressed interest, with restrictions in place due to the coronavirus pandemic. He missed out on the face-to-face conversations.
"I felt like Kansas City was honest. Talking with Demetrius, all the things that he said previously, they said now in the present," Seals-Jones said. "What he said and what they said isn't two different things. You have a player who left and still showed respect for that organization and loved that organization. That gives you a little bit of confidence when you're going in and talking to the team."
There were more factors, of course. Plenty of them. Reid has an affinity for his "Tiger Personnel," formations with two tight ends and one running back.
Kelce is the first. Seals-Jones, who turned 25 last month, projects as the leading candidate for the No. 2 spot, though Deon Yelder and Nick Keizer will provide competition. Blake Bell primarily occupied that role in 2019, but he signed a free-agent contract with the Cowboys earlier this offseason.
After spending his college career at Texas A&M as a wide receiver, Seals-Jones considers himself a weapon in the passing game. He had 14 catches for 229 yards and four touchdowns with Cleveland in 2019 after spending his first two years in Arizona. That's 16.4 yards per catch, which would have been second on the Chiefs last year behind Mecole Hardman among players with at least 10 catches.
"I look at it as I'm still learning the tight end position, and I'm a great route runner, but I can always be better," Seals-Jones said. "I just come in every day and work on everything as a whole."
Bell caught eight passes for 67 yards in the No. 2 tight-end role in 2019. But he offered a key contribution elsewhere _ special teams.
The Chiefs task their backup tight ends with occupying spots on the special teams units. Bell played 209 special teams snaps in 2019. When Harris served as the primary backup to Kelce from 2015-18, he averaged 285 special teams snaps per season.
Seals-Jones saw only 49 specials teams snaps last year and just 13 the year before.
"I'm willing to do whatever to help the team win," Seals-Jones. "I played special teams in Arizona and Cleveland. Special teams isn't something I don't want to do. If they need me to do it, I'll do it. I'm cool with special teams _ doesn't both me not one bit."
