Should the Steelers be in play for Patriots N’Keal Harry?

With the recent reports that he wants out of New England, should the Steelers try and trade for the disgruntled Harry?

The Steelers have a storied history of talented receivers, especially during the Kevin Colbert age. Each year the team fields some of the best pass-catchers despite rarely paying top dollar for anyone on the roster or using first-round picks at the position. The Patriots, on the other hand, have had no such luck, and it appears as though N’Keal Harry is set to continue that tradition for the team as he reportedly wants to be traded.

You can’t really blame him either. Despite the Patriots landing Mac Jones in the draft, Harry is deep down the depth chart and the team still seems set to use Cam Newton to some extent in 2021. This would in turn lead to another lackluster statistical year from the former first-round pick, and it would likely crush any chance he has at rebounding on a new team. He needs a fresh start, and the Steelers could be an intriguing fit.

Should the Steelers go after Harry?

On paper, the simple answer here is no. Despite a lackluster start to his career, he still has the pedigree of a former first-round pick, and some more receiver needy teams would be willing to part with more capital than the Steelers seemingly would. While the fault isn’t completely his own, injuries have been a constant issue with Harry so far. It is one of the reasons that he has failed to make much of an impact in the league so far.

As well, the team is extremely deep at receiver as it stands. The three starters are already set while James Washington figures to be the top backup. Ray-Ray McCloud can also get involved in the slot and on designed plays. Harry would have little guarantee to make the roster, and if the team was set on only keeping five receivers like they did last year, Harry would be on the outside looking in.

Finally, the Steelers already have a Harry-style of player on the team. Since Harry is best suited to play as a big slot, he would serve the same role as JuJu Smith-Schuster currently does on the team. There is no way he would take the starting job, meaning his route to playing time would be limited.

There is a glimmer of hope here though for two reasons. For starters, the Steelers were supposedly extremely high on Harry coming out of Arizona St. The team has a tendency to make moves for high pedigree guys that they liked coming out of school You don’t have to look any farther than when the team traded for Browns bust Justin Gilbert to see if he could revive himself in Pittsburgh.

Also helping his cause is his contract. Harry has two years left on his deal and a team option that could be picked up. This would give the Steelers another young receiver to add to the room and help the team transition next season if Smith-Schuster signs elsewhere.

Now, the trade would have to be for very little, as it is unlikely the team would give up good capital in exchange for a reserve receiver. If the Patriots were willing to take a seventh-round pick, a late-round pick in 2023, or even a player-for-player swap, landing Harry wouldn’t be a horrible move. That said, the right cards would have to fall in place.

All said, do the Steelers have to land Harry right now? No, but if the right situation unfolded the move would make sense. It would require the Patriots taking minimal compensation for Harry, but if he garners little interest league-wide, he may get traded for very little. Colbert should at least send in a feeler call to see what Harry would cost. Don’t expect the move to happen, but that doesn’t mean the Steelers shouldn’t at least inquire at the right price.