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The wait is almost over for Bears receiver N’Keal Harry, who will make his Chicago debut on Monday Night Football. And it couldn’t come at a better time, where he’ll get a chance to face his former team, the Patriots, who dealt him for a seventh-round pick earlier this offseason.
But for Harry, he’s trying not to get caught up in the “revenge game” of it all. For him, it’s an opportunity to finally show the Bears what he can provide on offense.
“I’m trying not to get too caught up in it being the Patriots and it being my former team,” Harry said Friday, via ChicagoBears.com. “I’m obviously excited. I’m excited to see some of my guys pregame. I went through a lot with some of those guys that came in with my [rookie] class. So I’m excited to see them, but I’m just excited to get out there finally.”
Harry believes he can bring a lot to this Bears offense, whether that’s as a threat in the passing game or contributing in the run game.
“I feel like I bring a big presence of physicality,” Harry said. “I can help with the run game. I can help [as] a downfield threat. I’m just excited to do my role and do my part.”
The biggest challenge for Harry is making up for lost time with quarterback Justin Fields, who he last took reps with during training camp in early August. But Harry said this week has been good in getting back up to speed.
“Over this past week it’s been good, just getting out there getting reps,” Harry said, “seeing the type of throws he likes to make, seeing the type of footballs I like to catch. It’s been good this week.”
The Bears receiving corps is arguably the worst in the NFL, and the hope is Harry can provide some sort of spark. But the thing with Harry is he’s such an unknown at this point, at least in terms of what he can provide in Chicago.
“I’m excited to see,” said offensive coordinator Luke Getsy. “There’s a little bit of the unknown because he just hasn’t been out there. Didn’t get to do the preseason. Didn’t get to play any games yet. So it’s a little bit of that unknown.
“He’s getting better. He’s a smart player. In training camp he started giving us the flexibility of being able to put him in a bunch of different positions. Big, strong guy that we can use in a bunch of different ways. I’m excited to see where he can go.”
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