New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has never been an open book, so to speak. He rarely speaks on internal team matters, and he often simplifies as much as possible.

So when Belichick said that rookie wide receiver N'Keal Harry is “getting better,” it should hardly come as a surprise:

Belichick was also unclear about the status of Demaryius Thomas after Ian Rapoport reported that the Patriots were cutting Thomas:

The Patriots made Harry their first-round selection in the 2019 NFL Draft after the former Arizona State product put up over 1,000 yards receiving in each of his last two seasons with the Sun Devils.

Harry averaged 14.9 yards per catch as a junior and racked up nine touchdowns while also showing some proficiency as a return man. Harry averaged nearly 17 yards per return and had one touchdown on nine punt returns in 2018.

The rookie wideout appeared to injury his leg during New England's preseason game against the Detroit Lions a few weeks ago, and he was forced to miss a number of practices, though team officials said the injury was “minor.”

As is usually the case in New England, the Patriots scrambling to assemble their group of pass catchers for Tom Brady. Though Julian Edelman will be ready for Week 1 after missing the first four games of the 2018 season and Josh Gordon was reinstated by the NFL, the Thomas signing did not work out, and Phillip Dorsett is still mostly unproven.

The Patriots will be hoping that Harry can suit up for the opener against the Steelers on Sunday Night Football.