Chicago Bears: Harry Deal Is No-Risk, High Reward

The Chicago Bears looked to bolster their wide receivers unit by trading for former New England Patriots wide receiver N’Keal Harry.

Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles showed that while the team is on a break before training camp, he’s still hard at work trying to build the roster. He traded for New England Patriots wide receiver N’Keal Harry.

The wide receivers room was a concern going into this offseason. After Allen Robinson bolted for the Los Angeles Rams via free agency, the only receivers still on the roster from last season were Darnell Mooney and Dazz Newsome.

Poles went out and picked up some players but they weren’t exactly blockbuster moves. He brought in Equanimeous St. Brown, Byron Pringle, Dante Pettis, Tajae Sharp, David Moore, and Chris Finke. He also drafted Velus Jones Jr. in the third round of this year’s draft.

None of those signings elicited much excitement. Poles and the Bears hope that a couple of the new receivers make an impact. Apparently, he felt he needed more, however.

The Bears are in the midst of another rebuild. Poles came in to try to improve the salary cap situation so he could have the flexibility to go after players. He certainly did that, as the Bears now have the second-highest salary cap space in the NFL this season. Furthermore, they have the highest salary cap space next offseason.

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Harry is the type of player Poles wants

Instead of going after some high-priced players, Poles decided to go in a different direction. He looked for young, athletic players who had chips on their shoulders. These are players who perhaps haven’t had much impact during their stay with other teams. They are now in Chicago to either show that they belong in the league or to take advantage of maybe their final shot at sticking around.

Harry is exactly that type of player. He was the Patriots’ first-round pick in 2019. He came in with high hopes but never lived up to expectations. In three seasons, he’s only had 57 catches for 598 yards and 4 touchdowns. He was the subject of trade rumors for the past 18 months. The Pats finally pulled the trigger on a deal.

This deal is a no-risk, high-reward one for the Bears. They receive a player who is now hungry to show that New England was wrong about him. Additionally, they get him on the cheap. It only cost them a seventh-round pick in 2024. The thought is that if the rebuild goes as planned, a seventh-round pick in 2024 won’t be something the Bears sorely need.

Since Harry is in the final year of his rookie deal, the salary cap implications are minimal as well. The Patriots are eating $1.34 million of the $3.2 million due to him this season. That means he has a $1.86 million salary cap hit. Wait, it gets better. Of that money, only $673,000 is guaranteed. That means if Harry continues to struggle while in Bears training camp the team can cut him and not have much of a cap impact. If it works out, great. The Bears get a receiver for under $2 million. If it doesn’t, fine. It only costs them a late-round pick in two years and only $673,000.

While many people don’t see the needle moving for the Bears with this deal, Poles at least adds another option who could end up contributing without costing much in draft picks and salary cap space. At least we know Poles is looking everywhere to try to improve the roster. He might not have made huge deals but he might hit on one or two of the players he did get.