Bears WR N'Keal Harry Could Play TE, Hub Arkush Says

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New Bears WR N'Keal Harry is undergoing surgery.

Could the Chicago Bears flirt with a position switch for newly acquired wide receiver N’Keal Harry?

The Bears sent a 2024 seventh-rounder to the New England Patriots in exchange for the former 32nd overall pick, who has played only wideout going back to his college days at Arizona State.

On the July 16 episode of 670 The Score’s “Parkins & Spiegel Show,” Bears sideline reporter Mark Grote, who was filling in for co-hosts Danny Parkins and Matt Spiegel, spoke to longtime Bears analyst and insider Hub Arkush of Shaw Media about Chicago’s acquisition of Harry.

Arkush noted that based on what he had seen and heard so far about team practices, undrafted free agent Chase Allen is looking to be the team’s No. 2 tight end behind Cole Kmet. Arkush then said he wouldn’t be surprised to see Harry get some snaps at tight end, as well.

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Arkush: Bears Don’t Have Reliable ‘U’ TE on Roster

Despite Harry’s lack of experience at tight end, Arkush said he thought it would be reasonable that Chicago’s new offensive coordinator Luke Getsy experiments a little.

“A lot of these guys that they’re bringing in on offense, rather than pigeonholing them into a position, they’re talking about the different things that Luke Getsy wants to do with his offense and guys who can become versatile weapons in that offense. I can see different ways that they can use Harry,” Arkush said.

“They don’t really have a move tight end, a ‘U’ tight end on the roster,” Arkush added. “And even though Harry, I’m sure, will get a chance to play wide receiver, I could see them using him as that second tight end in some two-tight end sets, even putting him in the slot, putting him outside, bringing him inside, so they can do a lot of different things with him.”

Arkush isn’t the first insider to float the idea of Harry moving to tight end. Patriots insider Mike Reiss of ESPN.com first mentioned the idea in early June, when Harry was vying for a spot on New England’s roster.

“Harry’s best chance might be to ask about a possible switch to tight end to compete with [Devin] Asiasi and [Dalton] Keene as TE3 behind Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith,” Reiss wrote.

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Would Harry Make a Good TE?

Harry has decent size (he’s 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds) is a solid blocker with good hands — three qualities the league’s better tight ends possess. The 23-year-old receiver has an 8.1% drop rate over his time in the league, per PFF. By comparison, Bears free agent WR Byron Pringle has a 9.5% drop rate.

Here’s what NFL.com draft expert Lance Zierlein wrote about Harry prior to the 2019 draft:

Back-shoulder boss who thrives with contested catch opportunities outside the numbers but lacks explosive traits. Harry’s ability to body-up opponents and win with ball skills is undeniable, but his inability to find a threatening top gear or shake loose from tight man coverage must be accounted for within his new employer’s scheme. His experience playing inside should help and teams will love his impact as a run-blocker. His competitiveness and ability to come down with the ball could make him a productive member of wide receiver trio in short order.

Harry was the second-best run-blocking WR in the NFL last season, and considering the other journeymen TEs on the Bears depth chart (Ryan Griffin, James O’Shaughnessy and Rysen John are the top three, along with Allen and another UDFA, Jake Tonges), it wouldn’t be too big of a surprise if Getsy took a look at the big-bodied Harry as a tight end.

Training camp is approaching soon (rookies report on July 23, veterans on July 26), so we’ll know soon enough what the team’s plans are for its newest acquisition.