Jakobi Meyers says N’Keal Harry has been ‘a professional’ about demotion

Jakobi Meyers’ rise has come at the expense of one of his teammates. The New England Patriots desperately needed help at the receiver position, with N’Keal Harry struggling to make meaningful contributions as a pass-catcher.

When Harry suffered a concussion and Julian Edelman went on injured serve with a knee injury, Meyers made the most of the opportunity, and asserted himself as the most consistent receiver since taking an increased role. But that could have made for an awkward situation. Harry has returned from injury, but is clearly the third receiver on the depth chart, a significant demotion, with the Patriots playing two receivers or fewer on the field 41% of the time. Even so, Meyers and Harry seem to be getting along just fin.

“N’Keal’s my dawg, but at the same time, he’s a professional,” Meyers said Wednesday. “He understands that he can either handle it two ways. Either he can pout about it and be in a situation that nobody wants him to be in, honestly, or he can keep doing what he’s doing, come out here, keep practicing well and doing his thing every day showing up. Keep showing that he’ll be reliable whenever his chance is called or whenever the team needs him.

“(Quarterback) Cam (Newton), I see Cam talking to him a lot. I feel like I try to help him out as much as I can. I feel like he’s definitely handling it well, and he still goes out there and practices as hard as he possibly can. Hopefully, it’ll turn out for him.”

It’s a bit reversal of roles, considering how the two players entered the NFL. Meyers was an undrafted free agent in 2019. Harry was the 32nd overall pick that same offseason. At this point, Harry should probably be the one helping Meyers develop and make an impact — and not the other way around.

Alas, that’s the situation Harry finds himself in. And he’s running out of chances to establish himself in the offense and, in turn, the NFL. Again, that’s a storyline more commonly associated with former undrafted players — and not former first round picks.