Getty New England Patriots
N
‘keal Harry has had a rough start to his NFL career and things don’t seem to be getting any better for the New England Patriots wide receiver.
ALL the latest Patriots news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Patriots newsletter here!
After being drafted in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft, Harry has struggled to get his career off the ground. In three seasons, Harry has 57 career catches for 598 yards and four touchdowns.
This offseason has been an illustration of his struggles. New England declined to pick up his fifth-year option and he once again found himself on the trade block ahead of the 2022 NFL Draft. The Patriots were unable to find a trade partner and Harry still remains on the roster.
Voluntary workouts have been going on since April but Harry hasn’t been present. The Athletic’s Jeff Howe wrote in his latest column that New England isn’t exactly pleased with the wide receiver.
“Wide receiver N’Keal Harry didn’t do himself any favors by skipping the beginning of the voluntary offseason workout program,” Howe stated. “The 2019 first-round pick has 57 career catches for 598 yards and four touchdowns, and the clock appears to be ticking on his time in New England. The feeling in Foxboro is it’s going to be difficult for him to improve upon those numbers by avoiding these team-building workouts. The other issue is Harry has no apparent trade value, barring a player-for-player swap with someone on an expiring contract who also needs a change of scenery.”
Will N’Keal Harry Find the Field in 2022?
After skipping voluntary workouts, the path to playtime got even harder for the wide receiver. New England’s group of wide receivers is quite deep with DeVante Parker, Kendrick Bourne, and Jakobi Meyers leading the way.
Parker is the only receiver to ever eclipse 1,000 yards in a season and Meyers and Bourne combined for over 1,600 receiving yards and seven touchdowns in 2021. In 2022, they will continue to be one of Mac Jones’ favorite targets.
New England also drafted a wide receiver that has the potential to make an instant impact in his rookie season. The Patriots selected Tyquan Thornton in the second round of the 2022 draft. Considering the location where Thornton was drafted and the fact that he ran a 4.28-second 40-yard dash, he has the potential to become a part of New England’s passing plans this upcoming season.
Can the New England Patriots Get Anything in Return for N’Keal Harry?
As Howe stated, Harry’s value is at an all-time low. With his contract expiring at the end of this season, prospective teams would be better off waiting to sign him as a free agent than make a trade for him.
If the Patriots decided to flat out cut Harry, it would be quite costly. The wide receiver has a dead cap hit of $2,015,000.
So just when Patriots fans think that Harry’s time in New England can’t get any worse, something else pops up. They will be saying good riddances to the wide receiver drafted out of Arizona State once the 2022 regular season comes to an end.