'It’s exciting to be part of this offense': Former Assumption star Deonte Harty plays key role in Bills' playoff march
Last weekend’s blizzard in Orchard Park, New York, postponed the Buffalo Bills’ AFC wild-card playoff game against the Steelers until Monday, caused a travel ban in the area and stranded players in their homes.
It wasn’t all bad, though. Bills receiver/return specialist Deonte Harty, the former Assumption star, got to spend some extra quality time with his parents, his grandmother and his 18-month-old daughter, who were all in town for the game.
Fatherhood is fun, and the best part, Harty said, is just watching his daughter grow up. She has started climbing all over the furniture and trying to get out of her crib.
“She treats everything like a jungle gym,” Harty said with a laugh during a phone interview after Thursday’s practice, “and she’s already running fast.”
Just like her dad.
Harty showcased his speed during his 96-yard punt return for a touchdown, a Buffalo record, in the regular-season finale at Miami. The electrifying fourth-quarter play shifted momentum to the Bills, helped them beat the Dolphins, 21-14, and capture their fourth straight AFC East division title.
At Assumption, Harty, who two years ago legally changed his last name from Harris to Harty in honor of his stepdad, set the NCAA all-division record for combined touchdown returns (punt and kickoff) with 14, and, during his 2019 rookie season in New Orleans, scored his first NFL TD on a 53-yard punt return.
“(The punt return TD against the Dolphins) felt great,” Harty said. “It reminded me of those college days and my rookie year in New Orleans. I got that rush again. I had a surreal feeling. When I found out it was the longest in Bills history, that was like icing on the top.”
The 26-year-old Harty, who entered the league as an undrafted free agent, spent his first four professional seasons with the Saints. He earned Pro Bowl honors as a punt returner his rookie year. Harty missed most of 2022 due to injury and became a free agent at the end of the season.
He signed a two-year contract with the Bills in March.
Harty’s first year in Buffalo has been “cold,” he said — it snowed again this week — but very enjoyable.
“It’s been kind of a reset button,” Harty said. “These guys accepted me as one of them early on, and I built relationships with the guys on the team. This was one of those places you look at from the outside, and you just want to be part of it, especially with the team having so much success the last couple of years. This was one of the teams I would always look at and think, ‘If my time ever comes to an end in New Orleans, this would be a place,’ and it’s crazy how God works because look at me now.”
The Bills host the Kansas City Chiefs in an AFC divisional game at 6:30 p.m. Sunday.
During the regular season, Harty had 15 receptions for 150 yards, and he caught a go-ahead 3-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Josh Allen in Buffalo’s win over the Giants.
“It’s exciting to be part of this offense,” Harty said, “and Josh Allen is one of the coolest people that I’ve ever met. He treats everybody the same. He’s an outgoing, standup, funny guy. Being around him and getting to learn from him and see how he goes about the game is definitely fun.”
Harty had a 34-yard reception in last week’s 31-17 win over the Steelers.
Entering the Miami game, Harty was averaging just 9.1 yards per punt return.
Early in the fourth, with the Bills trailing by seven, Harty fielded the ball at the Buffalo 4-yard line and took off.
“I had no idea where I was,” Harty said. “I knew where I initially lined up, but I didn’t think that I was backing up that far. Usually, when the ball is on the 4, you let it go into the end zone. I saw one guy I had to make miss. After I made him miss, I saw a seam. Everybody was just doing their job, everybody was in the right place at the right time, and the rest is history.”
Harty said during the week Bills coach Sean McDermott challenged his special teams units.
“We talked about special teams having a big part in the game,” Harty said. “We accepted Coach’s challenge. There were a lot of Bills fans (in Miami). Once I broke free, you could hear them yelling. It was definitely a big momentum shift.”
Harty said the Buffalo community and Bills Mafia are amazing.
“(They are) great,” Harty said. “Great. I have people volunteering to shovel snow from my driveway for me so I can get to work.”
Harty called to congratulate his Assumption coach, Bob Chesney, on his new position at James Madison University, and the pair had a nice chat.
Harty keeps in touch with several of his former Assumption teammates, including Ashton Grant, a Cleveland Browns assistant coach, whom he talks to weekly. Harty was sad to see the Browns lose to the Houston Texans in their wild-Card matchup.
Grant, who got his coaching start on Chesney’s Holy Cross staff, has been with the Browns for four seasons, and this year served as an offensive assistant/quarterbacks.
“To watch him grow as a coach and continue to be recognized by those guys in Cleveland,” Harty said, “it’s good to see his hard work paying off.”
Harty and Grant were a dynamite receiving duo for the Greyhounds, and back then Harty saw coaching in Grant’s future.
“I didn’t think it would be this early,” Harty said, “but I saw him being a receivers coach or an offensive coordinator, just the way he went about the game and the way he thinks.”
—Contact Jennifer Toland at jennifer,toland@telegram.com. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @JenTolandTG.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Former Assumption star Deonte Harty brings swift returns on Bills' investment
