ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — The Chiefs made two roster moves on Wednesday, release veteran tight end Neal Sterling and placing undrafted rookie free agent linebacker Darius Harris on the non-football injury list. The moves leave the Chiefs with one open roster spot with the full squad due to report to training camp on Friday.
Sterling, a fifth-year pro from Monmouth, joined the Chiefs for a second stint with the club on June 13. He previously spent to weeks on the club's practice squad in October 2017.
The 27-year-old Sterling added experience to a tight end group searching for a replacement for backup Demetrius Harris, who left via free agency for Cleveland in the offseason. He delivered 24 catches for 239 yards in 35 career games split between the New York Jets and Jacksonville.
The Chiefs signed Harris as a college free agent from Middle Tennessee State knowing he would need time recovering from an injury sustained late last season. The senior captain for the Blue Raiders earned first-team All-Conference USA honors, collecting 96 total tackles with 11 for a loss, including five sacks.
Harris took part in his pro day at Middle Tennessee State and made several visits with teams around the league during the draft process before undergoing shoulder surgery. The team placed Harris on the active NFI list, which means he can return to practice once he receives medically clearance. He counts against the 90-player roster.
The Chiefs have one other player on the non-football injury list. They placed undrafted rookie defensive end Tim Ward on the reserve version of the list on May 6. Ward expects to miss the season recovering from knee injury suffered during college at Old Dominion. Ward does not count against the 90-player roster limit.
