One of the biggest winners from Josh Gordon’s surprising move to injured reserve isn’t even on the New England Patriots’ 53-man roster yet.
That would be rookie wide receiver N’Keal Harry, who is eligible to be activated off IR next week and, with Gordon out of the picture, now has a clear path to significant playing time in the Patriots’ offense.
A 6-foot-4, 225-pound specimen who excels in contested catch situations, Harry is the most natural fit of any New England wideout for Gordon’s old “X” receiver spot. He played there at Arizona State and during his exceedingly brief preseason cameo this summer, which included two highlight-reel catches in three snaps before a hamstring injury shut him down.
Of course, Harry hasn’t played in a game since that night at Ford Field in early August. He also missed nearly 10 weeks of practice during a vital time in his NFL development. Given the growing pains young receivers typically experience in Josh McDaniels’ complex system, there’s no guarantee he’ll be ready to contribute right away, if at all this season.
But the Gordon decision should be viewed as a vote of confidence in the first-round draft pick. Bill Belichick and his staff, after observing Harry’s performance in practice last week and in meetings and workouts throughout the season, clearly believe he can help them more than Gordon, whose injury reportedly is “minor” and not season-ending.
Had Harry not looked prepared for an imminent return, the Patriots could have allowed him to revert to IR — as they did in previous years with Malcolm Mitchell and Shea McClellin — and waited for Gordon to heal, relying on Julian Edelman, Phillip Dorsett, Jakobi Meyers, Gunner Olszewski and the newly acquired Mohamed Sanu in the interim. Dumping the veteran indicated that was not the case.
How exactly the Patriots will use Harry remains to be seen. As NESN.com’s Doug Kyed explained Wednesday, it partially depends on how the team views its newest wideout, Sanu. The Atlanta Falcons and Cincinnati Bengals primarily used Sanu in the slot, but he has the size (6-2, 215 pounds) to play outside and could shift into Gordon’s old “X” role, as Brandon LaFell and Chris Hogan did upon their respective arrivals in New England.
Harry can’t make his debut until next Sunday in Baltimore, anyway, so the Patriots have some time to make those decisions. They also could choose to hold him out until after their Week 10 bye. But Gordon’s departure creates a vacancy at a position that perfectly suits Harry’s skill set.
Assuming Harry doesn’t flop and Meyers, who’s caught all nine passes thrown his way over the last two games, continues his upward trajectory, the Patriots should have five legit receiving threats at their disposal for the home stretch, plus Olszewski as a punt returner and depth option.
