Patriots rookie wide receiver N’Keal Harry became eligible to return to practice this week and the Patriots didn’t waste any time getting him on the field.
Harry is practicing with the team on Tuesday as they get back to work after a break following last Thursday’s win over the Giants. The first-round pick was placed on injured reserve after the team made the cut to 53 players at the end of August.
He’s able to practice for the next two weeks and become eligible to play in a game once he’s spent eight weeks on the list.
“I think the fairest thing to do for any young player, especially a guy that’s missed as much time as N’Keal has missed, is we have to get him back on the practice field,” offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels said in a Monday press conference. “We have to make smart decisions about when he’s ready to do what. Certainly, to put a player back in a position to say, ‘Hey, do everything, and do it all well, and do it all well under pressure, and do it all well under pressure against seven different defensive looks that you might get,’ and different personnel on the field each week that he hasn’t necessarily played against – I think there’s things that hopefully we can build into and do quicker than others.”
The Patriots can designate two players to return from injured reserve. Left tackle Isaiah Wynn is believed to be the likeliest choice for the other spot.