Patriots Ex WR N’Keal Harry Suffers Ankle Injury

The Chicago Bears wide receiver has apparently suffered an ankle injury on Saturday, which “appears to be severe.”

FOXBORO — Wide receiver N’Keal Harry has been eager to jettison his subpar past with the New England Patriots for a fresh start with the Chicago Bears.

Unfortunately, Harry’s comeback attempt may be over before it truly has the chance to begin.

The former Arizona State Sun Devil has apparently suffered an ankle injury on Saturday, which “appears to be severe,” per ESPN. The report further states that both Harry and the team are “hoping for the best” pending further evaluation.

In addition to underwhelming play on the field, Harry’s tenure in New England was plagued by a history with injuries, as well. As a result, both sides had little choice but to move on from each other. After three disappointing seasons in New England, 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 via the first round (32 overall) of 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 had 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, he was a minimal factor; never looking truly comfortable in the Pats offense.

Harry was expected to play a notable role in the Bears offense, providing a sizable target for second-year quarterback Justin Fields. His presence was also seen as a way to take pressure off of receivers Darnell Mooney and Byron Pringle. Despite some ups-and-downs during his camp performance, Harry has been praised more than chastised for his on-field output, thus far. 

An update on Harry’s injury is expected this week.