Patriots wideout N’Keal Harry back at practice, opening 21-day window to return from injured reserve

N’Keal Harry returned to New England Patriots practice on Wednesday, opening the 21-day window for the wide receiver to be activated from injured reserve.

The Patriots moved Harry to IR on Sept. 2 after he suffered a left shoulder injury during an Aug. 19 preseason matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Had the transaction been processed before 4 p.m. ET the day prior, the Arizona State product would not have been eligible to be designated for return.

Three games of the 2021 regular season have since passed, and Wednesday’s practice marked the earliest that Harry could have been among the participants.

The 23-year-old has caught 45 passes for 414 yards and four touchdowns since arriving in the first round of the 2019 NFL draft. His game log includes 14 starts over 21 appearances.

Jakobi Meyers, Nelson Agholor, Kendrick Bourne and Gunner Olszewski reside on New England’s current 53-man roster. Fellow wideouts Kristian Wilkerson and Tre Nixon reside on the practice squad while waiver claim Malcolm Perry also resides on injured reserve.

The Patriots host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for an 8:20 p.m. ET kickoff Sunday at Gillette Stadium.