Should the Cardinals bring a former Sun Devil back home to Arizona?
By Adam Patrick
Should the Arizona Cardinals attempt to acquire former Arizona State Sun Devil, and current New England Patriots wide receiver, N’Keal Harry?
Back in 2019 when he was preparing for that year’s NFL Draft, former Arizona State Sun Devils wide receiver and Chandler, Arizona native N’Keal Harry said that it would be “special” to be drafted by his hometown Arizona Cardinals. Instead of remaining close to home though, Harry wound up getting selected by the New England Patriots with the final pick in the first round of the 2019 draft.
In his three years with the Patriots, Harry has struggled to do much of anything. Since he entered the NFL in 2019, the former Arizona State receiver has only caught a total of 57 passes for 598 yards and four touchdowns.
A recent acquisition by New England has created some chatter about Harry’s time with the Patriots being near the end. If the 24-year-old wide receiver becomes available this offseason, should the Cardinals make an attempt to add him to their roster?
Why the Arizona Cardinals should try to acquire New England Patriots WR N’Keal Harry
Recently, New England decided to make a trade with the Miami Dolphins for wide receiver DeVante Parker. A seven-year veteran, the arrival of Parker could result in the Patriots moving on Harry in the near future.
ESPN’s Mike Reiss is someone who believes the former Arizona State receiver is done in New England as he recently stated that the trade for Parker “likely means the end of the road” for Harry in a Patriots uniform.
If New England eventually does decide to move on from the young receiver this year, the Cardinals might be a perfect landing spot for him.
Acquiring Harry, either through a trade with the Patriots, claiming him on waivers, or signing him as a free agent, likely won’t require Arizona to give up many assets. This is a good thing for a Cardinals team that currently only has around $6 million in cap space.
In addition to Harry’s potential price tag being low, Arizona is also in need of more wide receiver help. With the departure of Christian Kirk, and A.J. Green still remaining unsigned, the Cardinals need to figure out who they want to join DeAndre Hopkins and Rondale Moore out on the field next season.
The risk of adding Harry to their roster is very low for the Cardinals. If he continues to underperform, then it’s an easy decision to move on. But if Harry just needed a change of scenery, then Arizona could wind up benefiting from him reaching the potential many thought he had heading into the 2019 NFL Draft.