N’Keal Harry injury: Patriots WR hurt diving for pass, leaves the game

The Patriots wide receiver has had an encouraging preseason.

New England Patriots' N'Keal Harry suffered an injury on Thursday against the Eagles. AP Photo/Matt Rourke

August 19, 2021

1 minute to read

Patriots wide receiver N’Keal Harry appeared to suffer a shoulder injury diving for a pass from Mac Jones in the first half of Thursday’s preseason game against the Eagles.

Harry ran up the left sideline late in the second quarter, and Jones placed a nice pass within reach as the wide receiver dove forward. The ball slipped through Harry’s fingers, and he landed hard on his left shoulder. He stayed down for a lengthy period before standing up and slowly leaving the field with a slight limp.

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Harry appeared to be favoring his shoulder as he walked with trainers off the field. He did not return with the team for the second half, per the Boston Globe’s Nicole Yang.

Dr. Jessica Flynn, a sports medicine doctor who offers injury analysis for Boston Sports Journal, noted on Twitter that Harry would likely require X-rays, and that the “biggest concerns are AC [joint] separation and clavicle fracture.”

Harry finished with one catch for 19 yards. He disappointed in his first two seasons with the team, but he had an encouraging training camp.

“Each player is different,” Bill Belichick said after a recent practice when asked about Harry’s development. “Each situation is different, but generally speaking that’s really what it comes down to. Each player wants to maximize his performance to try to maximize his opportunities with the team, and our job as coaches is to help the players, each individual player do that and then ultimately how the competition unfolds, it unfolds.”