N’Keal Harry Ankle Injury and Return Timeline

N'Keal Harry - SIC Score 38

On Saturday, Chicago Bears’ wide receiver core suffered another blow with N’Keal Harry going down with a high ankle sprain. Harry’s injury required him to have tight rope surgery Thursday to secure his syndesmotic ligament.

The injury is expected to keep Harry out for eight weeks, according to NFL Network, but our team of Pro Football Docs believe his absence could easily stretch to 12 weeks. 

High-ankle sprains severely limit a wide receiver's ability to cut and Harry likely won’t be 100% until the second half of the season. 

The timing of the injury also means Harry will miss valuable time in training camp and the preseason to develop rapport with second-year quarterback Justin Fields

The team is also dealing with injuries to fellow receivers Byron Pringle, who is dealing with a significant quad strain, and David Moore, who will be “out a while” with a lower leg injury.

Harry is a former first-round pick of the New England Patriots and was traded for a 2024 seventh-round pick. He struggled to create separation in New England, which resulted in his ultimate demise. Head coach Bill Belichick couldn’t seem to find a role for Harry in his run-first offense.

In 33 career games with the Patriots, Harry hauled 57 catches for 598 yards and four scores. He battled injuries as well throughout his career with the Patriots.

Harry arrived in Chicago around a month ago with plans to gain some chemistry with young star quarterback Justin Fields. He and Fields were starting to develop chemistry through plenty of practice reps since the Bears have a depleted wide receiver core. But, since the team only had Harry for a month, they might look to add another wide receiver in free agency.

Some names could include Odell Beckham Jr., T.Y Hilton, and Emmanuel Sanders.

Harry’s season SIC score is 38, meaning he can be expected to reach just 38% of his projected stats for the season.