What N’Keal Harry injury status means for Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears got news recently about the injury to N’Keal Harry and his ankle. Reports are that a tightrope surgery will sideline him for about eight weeks. While this news is not great, there was an initial fear that he could miss the season, so it is certainly better than that.

Missing eight weeks at this point in the offseason means that he is likely to miss the first five games of the regular season. With that in mind, the Chicago Bears have a couple of options.

Place N’Keal Harry on IR with a designation to return

The Chicago Bears are likely going to play Harry on the IR with a designation to return. With new IR rules, teams can have eight players come back during the season when placed on the list. However, they have to miss four regular season games to be on the list.

This makes sense for Harry who will not miss the whole season but will certainly miss the first four games of the season. So, week five is a chance to take him off of the IR.

The one small twist to this is that Harry will have to make the initial 53-man roster to be placed on the IR with a designation to return. If they place him on the IR before the cutdowns, then he is out for the season.

So, the Chicago Bears will have to cut a player for 24 hours, then hope to re-sign him the following day. Most teams take a veteran who will not go through waivers, then give him a bonus to get cut for a day. This is what Chicago will have to do if they want Harry to play this year.

Place N’Keal Harry on season-ending IR

This would only happen if they do not want to cut anyone and keep him on the roster. The team could place him on the IR right now, and his season would be over. They could try again next year.

However, this seems unlikely as Mike Garafolo is indicating that the surgery Harry chose was specifically done to shorten the timeline of return and get him back on the field. Harry could have elected a more significant surgery but is looking for the quickest path back to the field. This makes sense since the Bears traded for him, and Harry has to prove himself to get onto the roster.

Chicago Bears could keep Harry on the roster

If the team is truly optimistic about Harry coming back sooner than expected they could just keep him on the roster. As noted, he has to make the original 53-man anyways. From there, the question would be whether they think he will miss four games or not.

If they feel as though Harry could be back in weeks two or three, perhaps they just make him the inactive wide receiver for two weeks, then hope for him to come back. They would not have to maneuver around the 53-man roster, but of course, they would not get an extra roster spot for those two weeks.

The reality is that Harry is probably going to have to make the roster. If they do not place him on the IR, you can expect him back in the first three weeks. If he goes to the IR, it is likely a week five or six return, and it means that someone who got cut is coming right back to the roster shortly.