Could Washington be interested in Patriots wideout N’Keal Harry? originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
N’Keal Harry formally requested a trade from the New England Patriots on Tuesday via his agent. That begs the obvious follow-up question: Which teams might have interest in the 23-year-old wide receiver?
Harry has vastly underachieved since the Patriots took him 32nd overall in the 2019 NFL Draft. He has just 45 receptions for 414 yards and four touchdowns over two seasons marked by injury and inconsistency, while three wideouts selected after him in 2019 — A.J. Brown, Mecole Hardman and D.K. Metcalf — have gone on to be Pro Bowlers.
Harry has two years remaining on a cheap rookie deal, though ($1.4 million base salary in 2021), and perhaps just needs a change in scenery. He also reportedly drew interest from “multiple” teams before the 2021 NFL Draft, so there might be a market for the wide receiver if the price is right.
Here are a few landing spots that could make sense for Harry.
Washington Football Team
Washington reportedly was “monitoring” Harry’s situation prior to the draft, so we wouldn’t be surprised if new general manager Martin Mayhew checks in. Harry would give the Football Team some beef at wide receiver to complement more agile wideouts Terry McLaurin and Curtis Samuel.
Atlanta Falcons
Julio Jones left a 6-foot-3, 220-pound hole in the Falcons’ wide receiver corps, so it could make sense for Atlanta to take a flier on the 6-foot-4, 225-pound Harry. New Falcons head coach Arthur Smith also found success with a pair of big receivers (A.J. Brown and Corey Davis) in Tennessee.
Houston Texans
We’re obligated to include Nick Caserio’s Texans, who have already added six (!) former Patriots this offseason. Their top two returning receivers, Brandin Cooks and Randall Cobb, are both 5-foot-10, so Caserio might be motivated to call up Bill Belichick about adding some bulk at the position.
Of course, the dilemma for New England is whether it can get a legitimate return for Harry. As our Phil Perry explained recently, Harry isn’t a lock to make the Patriots’ roster with Jakobi Meyers, Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne ahead of him on the depth chart. So, teams could just wait until later this summer to see if they can claim the wideout off waivers rather than parting with a draft asset.
For all of his struggles, Harry is still a young first-round pick with upside, so maybe the Patriots can flip him for a late-round draft pick before the season begins.