The Chicago Bears suffered a blow this weekend, as wide receiver N’Keal Harry went down with a high-ankle sprain on Saturday. Harry is undergoing tightrope surgery for the injury, per NFL Network, and is expected to miss about eight weeks.
According to Southern California Orthopedic Institute, tightrope surgery is a technique “used to stabilize an ankle after injury. It can be used to repair a high-ankle sprain, which damages the soft tissue structures between the tibia and fibula and causes these bones to separate … The TightRope system anchors the ends of the tibia and fibula together with a braided polyethylene cord, rather than with a rigid surgical screw, to restore the original position of the bones and to allow for proper healing.”
Harry was traded from the New England Patriots to the Bears just under a month ago in exchange for a 2024 seventh-round pick. The Arizona State product was selected by the Patriots with the final pick of the first round back in 2019, and was seen as one of the top wideouts in the class. However, he struggled to carve out a role for himself under Bill Belichick.
In 33 career games, Harry has caught 57 passes for 598 yards and four touchdowns. He suffered through multiple injuries in his first three seasons, and trade rumors quickly abounded. That trade finally came this offseason, and many were interested to see if a change of scenery could unlock his potential.
Harry set to miss around two months is certainly a blow to the Bears. The wide receiving corps is seen as a weakness on this team, as it’s headlined by Darnell Mooney, Byron Pringle, Equanimeous St. Brown and rookie Velus Jones Jr. It’s very possible Chicago could once again be in the market for a free-agent wide receiver.
