On July 12, 2022, The Chicago Bears pulled the trigger on a trade that would send former New England Patriots 2019 first-round pick N’Keal Harry to The Bears for a 2024 seventh-round pick. Since being selected in the 2019 draft, Harry has boasted only 57 passes for 598 yards in 33 games. While it is not exactly what The Bears were looking for when needing to stack up their wide receiver room, Harry can provide some valued experience to The Bears wideouts along with other talents that can benefit new Offensive Coordinator Luke Getsy’s offense.
Since The Patriots drafted Harry, it was obvious from the start that they didn’t trust him enough in their offense. His career reception percentage was at only 55.3 percent which ranks him 102 among 113 receivers around the league. Being traded to The Bears can provide Harry a much needed change of scenery as well as some added depth to The Bears wide receiver corps. Along with Harry’s experience, he provides something hard to find in talented wide receivers in today’s NFL: pass blocking. Harry stands at 6’4 and has 33-inch arms that help him dominate defensive backs in the run game. According to Pro Football Focus, Harry had an 84.7 grade on 174 run-blocking snaps.
Now that Harry is entering an offense that will be primarily based around the run game, his run blocking role will grow exponentially as the season begins. Expect Harry to be put into a lot of play-action plays because when defenses see him on the field, they’re more than likely thinking run. As a wide receiver, you don’t want your only job to be blocking opposing defenses every single snap. Before Harry can be put in those scenarios though, he needs to prove that he can help this new offense in any way he can.
Make no mistake, however, Harry is eager to prove himself to the NFL. As the new season is almost underway, Harry will play with a chip on his shoulder and a willingness to prove that he can compete with other wide receivers. As training camp is just over halfway done, Harry will fight day in and day out to ensure that The Patriots will regret ever trading him.
