N’Keal Harry isn’t doing much to erase the writing on the wall.
The fourth-year receiver remains unlikely to be on the Patriots roster in 2022. After requesting a trade last offseason, Harry put forth another forgettable campaign — he was a healthy scratch late in the season — and reportedly was put on the trade block ahead of the 2022 NFL Draft. With New England trading for DeVante Parker and using a second-round pick on Tyquan Thornton, the odds are against Harry finding a place on the Patriots receiver depth chart.
But that doesn’t mean the 24-year-old can’t do everything in his power to change the narrative. However, Harry has been a total no-show at New England’s voluntary team workouts, which have been going on since late April. It’s hard to not view Harry’s absence as a sign of him being resigned to a non-Foxboro future.
Unsurprisingly, the Patriots reportedly aren’t happy about it. Jeff Howe of The Athletic offered insight into Harry’s situation in a column published Friday morning.
Here’s an excerpt:
Wide receiver N’Keal Harry didn’t do himself any favors by skipping the beginning of the voluntary offseason workout program. 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.
The Patriots officially begin their voluntary organized team activities (OTAs) next Monday. New England’s first mandatory sessions of the offseason will begin June 7 with Patriots minicamp. We’ll just have to wait and see whether Harry shows up for those or is traded/released beforehand.
Since being taken with the 32nd overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, Harry has racked up only 57 catches for 598 yards and four touchdowns in 33 games. Injuries and general inconsistency have been issues throughout his three seasons in New England.
