The Chicago Bears traded for N’Keal Harry, marking one of many trades that General Manager Ryan Poles made during his first season. We have spent the start of the offseason grading some of his biggest decisions, so we will see how this one worked out.
Grading Chicago Bears trade for N’Keal Harry
The reality is that the team traded a seventh-round pick in the 2024 NFL draft for Harry. Given the nature in which Ryan Poles trades back, and the cost of which it would take to add a seventh-round pick next season you could almost assume that this pick will come back around in one way or the other.
At the end of the day, the decision to trade anything at all for Harry will become a blip on the radar because it was that inconsequential.
However, we have to admit that the trade did not work, either. Injuries had something to do with it, and the timing had him behind a few other wideouts. Still, he had plenty of time to make an impact on the team and simply did not.
After missing the first six games, he was active for weeks 7-9. He was inactive from 10-12 and then was in and out of the lineup to close the year. Overall he had seven catches for 116 yards.
You can make excuses for him all that you want, but this stat line looks so similar to every stat line he has posted during his four-year NFL career. He could not beat out Equanimeous St. Brown or Dante Pettis, so the excuse of missed practice time is hard to forgive.
Harry is a free agent this offseason, and when you look at the depth chart and compare that to his talents, it is hard to see him on the roster.
The price is not going to knock him, but the outcome is not good enough to give Poles an A. Beyond that, he has a pretty weak track record of wide receiver additions, even if Harry cost nothing. When you combine Byron Pringle, Velus Jones, and Chase Claypool, he has struggled here.
Either way, this trade is far from an F, but not an A, either.
Grading N’Keal Harry trade: C