If the Patriots decide to trade wideout N’Keal Harry, here are three potential destinations.
If we know anything about the New England Patriots’ cutthroat culture, it’s that they have a zero-tolerance policy for locker room drama. And by that we mean a personal feud between two players, not teammates getting in a heated argument after a gutting defeat.
With that in mind, the coaching staff couldn’t have been too fond of wideout N’Keal Harry’s trainer coming out publicly to lambaste quarterback Cam Newton, blaming the QB for Harry’s struggles instead of the player himself.
These sort of distractions are no doubt regarded as a big red flag in head coach Bill Belichick’s eyes and often land players in the doghouse. Knowing this — while clearly valuing his relationship with Newton — Harry swiftly responded by issuing an apology.
The Patriots organization no doubt appreciated Harry’s gesture, but you really can’t help but think that their patience is wearing thin with the 2019 first-round pick, who isn’t exactly making up for his camp’s antics (for lack of a better term) by producing on the field.
Patriots WR N’Keal Harry sets record straight in wake of trainer’s critical remarks of Cam Newton https://t.co/qZl5VfXoG2
— Boston Herald (@bostonherald) December 18, 2020
Through 11 games, Harry has just 29 receptions for 277 yards, the latter of which is a lower number than Julian Edelman’s total, who’s only played six games this season and looked like a shell of his normal consistent self before landing on injured reserve.
Taking all of this into account, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Patriots decided to just cut their losses on Harry in the offseason by trading him. While he hasn’t come close to realizing his full potential, his age (23) and physical attributes could make him an intriguing trade chip, so let’s highlight some potential destinations.
3. Green Bay Packers
The Packers desperately need to equip Aaron Rodgers with another wideout.
The Green Bay Packers shocked the world last April when they passed on drafting a wide receiver in the first round of the 2020 Draft in favor trading up to select quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ supposed successor in Jordan Love.
It was widely understood as the deepest WR class in several years, and we still can’t explain why the Packers, who were one win away from competing for a championship last season, decided to plan for the distant future over addressing the current flaws of their roster.
The bottom line is that they need to equip Rodgers with another receiver to lessen the burden on superstar Davante Adams, who currently leads the NFL in receiving yards per game (104.0) and touchdowns (14). That’s where Harry enters the equation as a potential solution for Green Bay.
We know Harry is an unproven commodity, but we couldn’t think of a better team than the Packers to help accelerate his maturation. The Arizona State product struggles at garnering separation from defenders, but Rodgers is arguably the best in the league at fitting passes into tight windows.
On top of that, Harry has showcased over the last two games that he excels at coming down with jump balls. This could help him morph into an appealing red zone target for Rodgers, who so often force-feeds Adams in those situations. Call us crazy, but the Packers — at least on paper — sound like an ideal destination for the struggling Patriots WR.
2. Washington Football Team
N’Keal Harry could jumpstart his career as the No. 2 option in Washington.
How many times have we seen a struggling high draft pick’s career take off after a move away from the organization that selected them? We’ve honestly lost count and the same could happen for Harry, who we are obviously rooting for despite his lack of production with the Patriots.
The Washington Football Team comes to mind as a realistic destination for Harry in that they are in need of a wide receiver and he would fit right into their youth movement. Outside of second-year stud Terry McLaurin, there really isn’t another viable pass-catching option in Washington’s offense.
For context, McLaurin currently ranks first on the team with 73 receptions for 1,001 yards. Their second-leading receiver, veteran tight end Logan Thomas, has 532 fewer (!) receiving yards. Think about how preposterous that sounds. Making a move for Harry would potentially give Washington some much-needed balance to their offense, which already flaunts an elite rushing attack with 2020 third-rounder Antonio Gibson bursting onto the scene in a huge way as a rookie.
Assuming that Washington gets their convoluted quarterback situation sorted out in the offseason, we’d love the idea of Harry jumpstarting his career with one of the NFL’s up-and-coming young teams.
1. Houston Texans
The Texans really have no choice but to give Deshaun Watson more weapons.
The Houston Texans are about as poorly-run of a franchise as there is in the NFL, which makes it utterly depressing that superstar QB Deshaun Watson is tied there until 2025 after he inked a four-year, $160 million extension prior to the start of the season.
It’d be an entirely different story if Watson had some talented weapons to work with on offense, but that simply isn’t the case thanks to the incompetence of recently-fired GM Bill O’Brien. That situation could become even worse if wideout Will Fuller, who was suspended for six games due to a performance-enhancing drug violation, isn’t re-signed.
As dynamic as Fuller is — he compiled 53 receptions for 879 yards (16.6 YPR) and eight touchdowns in 11 games before his temporary ban — the Texans might not be as inclined to bring him back as they probably were before the incident.
If they let him walk, Houston would be left with the likes of Brandin Cooks and Randall Cobb, both of whom are remarkably prone to injury and shorter than 6-foot, as their top two receivers. With that in mind, Harry (6-foot-4, 225 pounds), could make for a welcomed addition on the perimeter.
The Texans would likely be reluctant to give up more assets to acquire Harry, but New England surely wouldn’t command a ton in return for him, regardless of the fact that he cost them a first-round pick in 2019. Catching passes from Watson could be just the thing the 23-year-old WR needs to get his career off the ground.
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