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The last unsigned wide receiver from the Chicago Bears’ 2023 free agency class has finally found a new home in another part of the NFC North.
According to the NFL’s official transaction wire for August 6, the Minnesota Vikings signed former Bears wide receiver N’Keal Harry to their 90-man roster on Sunday, granting him the opportunity to compete for a depth role with their offense in 2023.
Harry was a 2019 first-round pick (No. 32 overall) for the New England Patriots, but he failed to find success over his first three seasons, averaging just 11.2 yards per reception and catching a total of 64 passes for 714 yards and five touchdowns over 33 games. He also missed several games in both the 2020 and 2021 seasons with injuries, leading the Patriots to decline his fifth-year option during the 2022 offseason.
Needing more receiving depth, the Bears decided to take a cheap flier on Harry’s first-round potential and traded a 2024 seventh-round pick to the Patriots to acquire the young receiver last July. He suffered an ankle injury in early August, though, and had to begin the 2022 season on injured reserve, missing the first six games for the Bears.
Even once he did return to the field, Harry struggled to leave much of an impression on the Bears. He caught just seven passes for 116 yards and a touchdown, the highlight of which was his leaping 49-yard grab in Week 13’s matchup with the Green Bay Packers. He was also ruled a healthy scratch in four of the Bears’ final eight games of the season, a strong indication that Chicago would not be re-signing during the 2023 offseason.
Harry is the last of the Bears’ free agent wide receivers to land a new contract. The Bears re-signed two of their own receivers, Equanimeous St. Brown and Dante Pettis, while veteran Byron Pringle signed a one-year deal with the Washington Commanders.
N’Keal Harry Could Struggle to Make Vikings’ Roster
Harry may have earned a fresh start with the Vikings for 2023 training camp, but he still has quite a bit to prove over the next three weeks if he wants to make their initial 53-man roster and avoid getting cut for the first time in his NFL career.
Despite releasing veteran Adam Thielen in March, the Vikings are looking like they could have a formidable trio of starting receivers in 2023 between All-Pro headliner Justin Jefferson, first-round rookie Jordan Addison and steady veteran K.J. Osborn. Behind them, the Vikings also have another former first-rounder — Jalen Reager, whom they traded two draft picks to get last offseason — vying for a depth role in the rotation alongside 2022 sixth-rounder Jalen Nailor, who showed promise as a rookie in 2022.
Now, if the Vikings decided to keep six receivers on their 53-man roster, Harry could have a chance to push for one of the spots. He would need to convincingly outperform fellow roster hopefuls Brandon Powell, Trishton Jackson and Blake Proehl in camp and the preseason, but he has more production and experience than all of them combined.
The question now is: Will Harry be able to live up to the task and have a strong camp with the Vikings or will his career continue on a downward trajectory in August?
Bears More Focused on Results of Other WR Trades
The Bears’ decision to trade for Harry did not end up working out, but they are likely more concerned with the success of their most recent two wide receiver trades.
The Bears have made two higher-profile receiver trades in the year-plus since they cut a deal to acquire Harry. The first came at last year’s November trade deadline when they shipped a second-rounder (No. 32 overall) to the Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for Chase Claypool. Then, in March, the Bears also acquired veteran D.J. Moore from the Carolina Panthers as part of their compensation for trading away the No. 1 overall pick.
Unlike the cheap gamble they took on Harry, the Bears are much more confident that Moore and Claypool can become high-level contributors for their offense. Moore has already been wowing the coaches and media alike with his No. 1 receiver presence in offseason workouts and early camp practices, while Claypool — a more controversial acquisition — seems to be much more adjusted to the playbook and scheme for 2023.
“Chase has been doing his thing lately,” Fields said after practice on August 2. “I’m proud of him. He’s one of those guys on offense that he’s going to bring that energy pretty much every day. He’s an emotional player. He’s been doing good. Making contested catches. He’s such a big body where he’s a big presence out there. When he gets going on every route, it’s hard to stop him. Even in the running game, he’s crushing linebackers. It’s definitely great to have Chase.”
Only time will tell whether the Bears’ trades for Moore and Claypool will work out as intended, but it is encouraging to see both of them having a strong start to camp.
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