Getty N'Keal Harry breaks a tackle at Arizona State last season.
The New England Patriots have been hit with the injury bug since their opening game of the preseason.
Tight end Matt LaCosse suffered an ankle injury he only just got over and rookie first-round pick N’Keal Harry injured himself in joint practices that week with Detroit only to reaggravate the injury in the preseason contest.
But this week, the Patriots are expected to get a big boost as Harry, who has been on injured reserve since the start of the season, will finally return to practice, according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network.
A potential big lift coming: The #Patriots are expected to have first-round WR N’Keal Harry (ankle) practice this week as he works back from Injured Reserve, I’m told. Assuming all goes well, he should work right into the offense.
In a brief cameo appearance in that opening preseason contest, Harry caught a pair of passes, acrobatically reaching over and around receivers to haul in throws from Brian Hoyer. That was all the Patriots would see from Harry in the preseason, as he never fully got over that ankle injury.
Harry’s return comes at an opportune time for the Patriots, who currently have a trio of receivers ailing with injuries. Julian Edelman continues to deal with a rib injury, Phillip Dorsett missed the Patriots’ last game with a hamstring injury, and Josh Gordon was forced out of that Thursday night contest with a scary knee injury, though he reportedly escaped major damage.
Speaking on his weekly conference call Monday, Bill Belichick noted how Harry has kept up with the team mentally and in meetings. His concern was over Harry would be physically ready to go after missing six weeks, a lot of time for any player to make up but especially a rookie.
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Patriots’ Potential Uses for N’Keal Harry
During training camp, the rookie receiver dazzled with some amazing catches in practice mixed in with a few bad drops early. But he recovered to earn first-team reps and was among the top receivers for the team before his injury.
One interesting way New England was preparing to use Harry was in goal-line situations. Harry was brought over on one occasion to work specifically with Tom Brady on goal-line offense.
And in one-on-one battles down in the red zone, Harry consistently beat his defenders on corner routes in the endzone. His size, strength, and hands make him a prime threat down in that area of the field and can help New England add a Gronk-like dimension back into its goal-line mix.
Play of the day goes to N’Keal Harry. Moss’ed the DB on a corner route to the back pylon in a red zone drill. Me thinks Harry is going to be tough to handle near the goal line. #Patriots
And of course, he will be used as a deep threat to compliment the likes of Josh Gordon and Phillip Dorsett.
Tom Brady Talks Young Patriots Receivers
Recently, the Patriots’ 42-year-old quarterback spoke out about how difficult it is to integrate younger receivers into a complex offense.
Speaking on local Boston radio station WEEI ahead of the Patriots’ Week 5 contest against Washington, Brady gave an uninspiring take on how younger receivers have performed in their first professional seasons.
“It’s a challenging position because there’s a lot that’s put on receivers. Young players, it’s hard to count on [them]. There’s not a lot of young players who have had major contributions in our offense. That’s just the reality of that position.
With Harry having had less time to work with Brady given his recovery, it will have to be a quick learning curve for the rookie if he wants to play a major role in the New England offense.
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