Bears land WR N’Keal Harry from Patriots, per report

The Chicago Bears are sending a 2024 seventh-round pick to the New England Patriots for wide receiver N’Keal Harry, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo reported Tuesday.

The Patriots selected Harry with the 32nd overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft. The former Arizona State standout failed to live up to his first-round billing in New England, catching only 57 passes for 598 yards and four touchdowns in three seasons.

Harry’s best season came in 2020 when he appeared in 14 games, including nine starts, with 33 catches for 309 yards and two TDs. Still, the production remained well below expectations, and Harry reportedly requested a trade last July.

The Patriots elected to keep Harry for the 2021 season, which turned into an injury-riddled campaign in which Harry caught only 12 passes for 184 yards with no TDs. Trade speculation had again surrounded Harry in recent months.

[ Hub Arkush’s 2022 Bears training camp preview: Wide receivers ]

Harry, 24, should certainly have ample opportunity to revive his career in Chicago. The Bears allowed Allen Robinson to walk in free agency, leaving third-year wideout Darnell Mooney as the only reliable target for quarterback Justin Fields.

The Bears did bring in veterans Byron Pringle, Equanimeous St. Brown, Dante Pettis, Tajae Sharpe and David Moore over the offseason on short-term deals. General manager Ryan Poles also took speedster Velus Jones Jr. in the third round of this spring’s draft.

None of those names, however, come with enough proven production to guarantee a starting spot opposite of Mooney, meaning Harry should find himself in the mix when training camp opens this month.