Getty Former Patriots N'Keal Harry visited the Buffalo Bills recently.
Former New England Patriots wide receiver N’Keal Harry could become a rival soon.
The Patriots’ former first-round pick in the 2019 NFL draft worked out for the Buffalo Bills according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport on Friday, July 28. Harry never panned out with the Patriots with 57 receptions for 598 yards and 4 touchdowns in 33 games for three seasons.
He grabbed the Patriots’ attention as a 1,000-yard receiver for back-to-back seasons with Arizona State in 2017 and 2018. Harry was considered an explosive playmaker, but he never made a play over 43 yards with the Patriots.
Injuries also curtailed Harry’s time in New England. He sustained an ankle sprain in 2019, a concussion in 2020, and injuries to a shoulder, knee, and hip in 2021.
New England traded Harry to the Chicago Bears in 2022 and acquired a seventh-round 2024 NFL draft pick. Harry didn’t fare better with the Bears as he caught 7 passes for 116 yards and 2 touchdowns in seven games amid injury.
N’Keal Harry snatched that 🤭
(via @thecheckdown)
Whether or not Harry will sign with the Bills remains to be seen. Buffalo recently signed former Arizona Cardinals wideout Andy Isabella on Friday.
The Bills already have loads of depth at receiver, which would make it all the more challenging for Harry to make the 53-man roster or practice squad.
Latest Patriots First-Round WR Pick Off to a Slow Start
Patriots wideout Tyquan Thornton, 2022 first-round pick, hasn’t taken off yet in his young career. He only caught 22 passes for 247 yards and 2 touchdowns in 13 games last year.
Tyquan Thornton go zoom zoom
Training camp has started slow, too, for Thornton amid no catches during the first three days of practice according to Karen Guregian of MassLive. That doesn’t overly concern Thornton, who spoke with the media on Friday.
“I’m out there getting good reps in, so I’m definitely out there getting better,” Thornton said via Guregian. “I mean, there’s not much targets, but we’re not counting stats. That’s not what the count is about. We’re all out here trying to get better as a unit.”
Guregian reported that the Patriots only did red zone drills, which also played a role in Thornton’s lack of catches. She also noted missed opportunities where Patriots defensive backs Christian Gonzalez and Jonathan Jones beat Thornton in coverage.
“It’s a short area, so you can’t really use that much speed,” Thornton said via Guregian. “So sometimes, you have to come down with great catches, so I’m trying to work on making contested catches in the red zone.”
Thornton will get a chance to perform better with the fans in attendance on Sunday, July 30, the first training camp practice open to the public. The Patriots have the next five practices open to fans through Thursday, August 3.
Kendrick Bourne Still Without a Catch After 3 Practices
It’s not just Thornton. Patriots wideout Kendrick Bourne didn’t make a grab during the first three practices of training camp.
Patriots.com’s Evan Lazar reported that Bourne “has never been a big practice player, so maybe he’s just a gamer”. However, the Patriots didn’t see big games for Bourne last year amid 35 catches for 434 yards and a touchdown last season.