Getty Former Bears wide receiver N'Keal Harry.
Former Chicago Bears wide receiver N’Keal Harry has reached the end of his second stint in the NFC North after the Minnesota Vikings decided to cut him loose from their 90-man roster ahead of this week’s preseason finale.
Per the team’s official transaction wire for August 24, the Vikings have terminated their free agent contract with Harry a little more than two weeks after originally signing him. The 2019 first-round pick had been dealing with a soft-tissue aggravation that held him out of Minnesota’s second preseason game, but it is unclear if it is related to his release.
Harry’s opportunity with the Vikings was the first one he had received since departing from Chicago earlier this year. The Bears did re-sign two of their free agent receivers — Equanimeous St. Brown and Dante Pettis — to new contracts for 2023 but declined to re-up with Harry when his rookie deal (with a declined fifth-year option) expired in March.
Now, the 25-year-old will have to hope there is another team looking to add depth to its receiving room during the 53-man roster cutdown next week. He might even have to settle for a practice-squad spot somewhere given his lack of production in recent years.
Bears’ Low Risk With N’Keal Harry Did Not Pan Out
The Bears took a chance on Harry’s first-round upside ahead of 2022 training camp, shipping a 2024 seventh-round draft choice to the New England Patriots with the hopes that it could yield them a depth piece or rotational contributor for their receiving room. At the time, the Bears needed more receiving depth, and Harry was ultra-affordable and had flashed some playmaking ability during his limited reps with the Patriots.
Unfortunately, Harry suffered an ankle injury early in camp and was unable to get back on the field until his Bears debut against his former Patriots team in Week 7. Even once he rejoined the lineup, he struggled to create much of an impact for a Bears offense that was desperately yearning for a reliable wide receiver to emerge from the pack.
Harry caught his first three targets in a Bears uniform for 38 yards and a touchdown. He also had a highlight-worthy 49-yard contested grab against the Green Bay Packers in Week 13’s matchup, but he faded into the background more often than not and ended up with just seven receptions for 116 yards over his nine appearances, including games where fellow wideouts Darnell Mooney and Chase Claypool were both out with injuries.
Ultimately, the price the Bears paid for Harry was negligible. Of all the trades that Ryan Poles has made in his 19 months as general manager, it was the least consequential and marked the first step toward him aggressively pursuing better weapons for quarterback Justin Fields. He has since traded for both Claypool and star wideout D.J. Moore.
Sometimes, those are just the types of risks that are worth taking for a roster builder.