No N’Keal Appeal: Patriots, Harry Split Was Inevitable

The New England Patriots hastened the inevitable on Tuesday by trading receiver N’Keal Harry to the Chicago Bears in exchange for a seventh-round draft selection in 2024.

FOXBORO — In the wake of a disappointing end to an otherwise promising 2021 NFL season, the New England Patriots are eager to get back to work.

New England’s rookies will report for training camp on July 19, while it’s veterans are required to arrive in Foxboro by July 26. The first team practice is scheduled for July 27.

Much to the delight - or perhaps delight? / of Patriots fans, wide receiver N’Keal Harry will not be among them.

The Patriots hastened the inevitable by trading the promising, yet much-maligned receiver to the Chicago Bears in exchange for a seventh-round draft selection in 2024.

Harry joined the Patriots in the 2019 NFL draft. He was the first wide receiver selected by New England in the first round since 2000. Despite the high expectations surrounding his arrival in the league, Harry had little impact over his first three seasons. Hampered by injuries during his first two years with the Pats, he has appeared in only 35 of a possible 50 games, including two playoff contests. Throughout the course of his Patriots tenure, he caught only 59 combined passes for 619 yards and four touchdowns. Harry also carried the football eight times for 56 yards, never elevating himself into a starting role within the New England offense.

Harry’s 2021 campaign also got off to a rocky start. His agent, Jamal Tooson, issued a formal request that the talented, but enigmatic wide receiver be traded from New England. Yet, Harry remained on the roster. Despite a solid start to Training Camp in 2021, he was sidelined for the start of the season — having suffered an injury to his shoulder during the second quarter of the Pats’ preseason matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles. Upon his return, he actually saw more action as a blocker in the running game rather than a pass catcher. Harry was asked to block on 53 percent of his offensive snaps, finishing with a mere 12 catches for 184 yards.

As such, Harry has been the subject of much scorn from the New England fanbase, as well as trade rumors throughout the offseason. There were times where he made some brilliant catches, flashing some of the skill that likely made him a first-round target for the Patriots in 2019. More often than not, however, was a minimal factor; never looking truly comfortable in the Pats offense.

As a result, both sides had little choice but to move on from each other.

The Patriots offense will be under heavy scrutiny in 2022. Not only will the unit be expected to build upon quarterback Mac Jones’ strong rookie campaign in 2021, they will also be without the services of former offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. As a result, many Patriots pass catchers [including receivers DeVante Parker, Kendrick Bourne, Jonnu Smith, Jakobi Meyers and Nelson Agholor] were enthusiastic about returning to the field during the offseason.

Harry, however, was conspicuous by his absence.

He failed to participate in informal workouts [hosted by Jones], as well as voluntary OTAs at Gillette Stadium. While Harry was present for mandatory minicamp, he was relegated to action with the team’s reserves; seldom [if ever] seeing time with the Pats’ starters.

In the aftermath of the Patriots’ acquisition of Parker from the Miami Dolphins, Harry’s days in a New England uniform appeared to be numbered. With Agholor, Bourne and Meyers expected to play significant roles in the Patriots passing game this season, Harry faced an uphill battle to find even a specialized role in New England’s offense. Parker, on the other hand, provides the size, skill set and the proven resume to be everything the Pats wanted in the Arizona State product. Having seemingly been bypassed on the Patriots depth chart by rookie wideout Tyquan Thornton, as well as minicamp standout Tre Nixon, all but sealed his fate with the club.

For Harry, he receives a fresh start with the Bears, and their young, second-year quarterback Justin Fields. At 6-4, 225 pounds, Harry’s size and strength could make him an effective weapon in short yardage situations, in both receiver and tight end packages. At his best, Harry has the frame to work as both a red zone and perimeter target, moving between the X- and Z-receiver roles, which allows him to make athletic and contested catches when needed. Harry is also able to contribute on special teams, primarily as a punt returner.

In addition to creating a roster spot, New England also gains some [albeit minimal] draft capital for 2024. According to Patriots salary cap expert Miguel Benzan, the Patriots are also in line to gain $907,048 in salary cap space by cutting ties with Harry via trade. Benzan further reported that trading him created more cap space than waiving him and having him go unclaimed, as the responsibility of paying his guaranteed salary now travels with him. In the wake of Harry’s trade, New England currently has $1,266,682 in available cap space for 2022.

Moving forward, Harry will continue his football journey elsewhere. The Patriots will open training camp without his services. Some will breathe a sigh of relief. Others will continue to use the words ‘Harry’ and ‘bust’ as proverbial punchlines. However, in the interest of virtue [which almost certainly lies in the middle], Harry’s poor fit in New England was as much about the team’s misreading his skillset as it was about his lack of performance.

As such, a parting of the ways was not only inevitable, it was the right thing to do.