Bill Belichick Gives Promising Update On N’Keal Harry Ahead Of Potential Return

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick says there’s progress in N’Keal Harry’s performance and readiness. The rookie wide receiver is expected to return to the lineup.

Harry suffered a hamstring injury in the Patriots’ preseason opener and was placed on injured reserve. He returned to practice two weeks ago, and will be added to the 53-man roster for Sunday’s game with the Baltimore Ravens.

“I think N’Keal’s been working hard,” Belichick said Tuesday on a conference call with reporters. “Even though he hasn’t been able to participate in practice until recently, he’s been able to do other things — train, study, watch film, keep up with the terminology and game plan adjustments that we make. And then more recently, he has been able to get on the field and primarily take scout-team reps but also do other things, individual drills and some of the other competitive drills and so forth that we’ve done. It’s definitely improving.”

Belichick hasn’t indicated whether Harry will be activated this week. The NFL requires players on IR to be activated within three weeks of their return to practice. The Patriots could choose to keep him off the roster until next Monday, delaying any roster move.

New England has bye weekend, and holding Harry out allows him to have two more weeks with practice reps before his debut with the Patriots. If he isn’t added to the roster by Tuesday, he will revert to IR and be unable to return for the end of the season.

“It’s good to have him back out there and see him working,” Belichick said. “I’d say each day, as you would expect, a little more improvement and confidence and taking things a little bit further than the day before. But he’s missed a lot of time. He still has a long way to go. He’s definitely trending in the right direction. We just have to evaluate where it is and what helps the team the most here.”

Harry was the 32^nd overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. He was the first receiver in the first round by the Patriots during Belichick’s time.