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The Chicago Bears traded for wide receiver N’Keal Harry‘ in the hopes it would be mutually beneficial for both the team and the player. The Bears need to give their young quarterback Justin Fields some help this season in the form of reliable pass-catchers. And Harry needs a fresh start after two disappointing seasons in New England. The problem is that the WR’s development with Fields and his road to redemption are now on hold after Harry landed on the Chicago Bears injury report with a serious injury.

WR N’Keal Harry is on the Chicago Bears injury report with a high ankle sprain and will miss several weeks

A detail view of the Chicago Bears Training Camp logo is seen on a banner during the the Chicago Bears Training Camp on July 30, 2022 at Halas Hall in Lake Forest, IL.
The Chicago Bears 2022 Training Camp logo | Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire

There is bad news at Bears training camp. Reports are coming out that the team’s newest acquisition, wide receiver N’Keal Harry, has landed on the Chicago Bears injury report and will miss time with a high ankle sprain.

Sources told NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport that Harry left practice Saturday with an ankle injury and is now “going to see a specialist.” While there is no official diagnosis and timeline until after the trip to the specialist, Rapoport says, “If that is the case, this is a significant injury, one that will almost certainly sidelines players about six weeks.”

Six weeks from Saturday would have Harry missing Week 1 vs. the San Francisco 49ers and returning for a Week 2 Sunday Night Football clash vs. the rival Green Bay Packers.  

This would be a major blow for both the Bears and Harry.

Harry is trying to fend off the dreaded “bust” label after the New England Patriots picked him No. 32 in the 2019 NFL Draft. In three seasons in Foxborough, Harry has 57 catches for 598 yards and four touchdowns.

Making the Harry pick look even worse is that six star WRs were picked after the former Arizona State wideout. Deebo Samuel, A.J. Brown, DK Metcalf, Dionte Johnson, Terry McLaurin, and Hunter Renfrow all went in the second round or later.   

For the team, Harry’s trip to the Chicago Bears injury report is bad as well.

The NFC North franchise currently has 14 WRs in camp. Still, the position group is one of the worst in the league. Darnell Mooney, Byron Pringle, Equanimeous St. Brown, and rookie Velus Jones Jr. headline this lackluster unit.

Harry’s injury gives second-year QB Justin Fields one less pass-catcher to throw to who could potentially develop into a decent receiver.

All stats courtesy of Pro Football Reference

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Tim Crean

Tim Crean started writing about sports in 2016 and joined Sportscasting in 2021. He excels with his versatile coverage of the NFL and soccer landscape, as well as his expertise breaking down sports media, which stems from his many years downloading podcasts before they were even cool and countless hours spent listening to Mike & The Mad Dog and The Dan Patrick Show, among other programs.

As a longtime self-professed sports junkie who even played DII lacrosse at LeMoyne College in Syracuse, New York, Tim loves reading about all the latest sports news every day and considers it a dream to write about sports professionally. He’s a lifelong Buffalo Bills fan from Western New York who mistakenly thought, back in the early ’90s, that his team would be in the Super Bowl every year. He started following European soccer — with a Manchester City focus — in the early 2000s after spending far too much time playing FIFA.

When he’s not enjoying a round of golf or coaching youth soccer and flag football, Tim likes reading the work of Bill Simmons, Tony Kornheiser, Chuck Klosterman, and Tom Wolfe.