All signs pointed toward rookie receiver N’Keal Harry making his NFL debut on Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens. After Harry started the season on injured reserve, the Patriots activated him to the 53-man roster on Saturday, which they didn’t have to do until Tuesday. Harry also traveled with the team to Baltimore. And yet he was inactive for Week 9.

The Patriots pushed the 2019 first-round pick’s first NFL appearance to Week 11 after New England’s bye week. Why?

“He was inactive because 46 other players were active,” Belichick said during his postgame press conference following the 37-20 loss Sunday night.

Not exactly illuminating.

The hosts on WEEI asked again on Monday: Why?

“We have to make seven players inactive every week,” Belichick told said on sports radio. “The ones we make active we feel will have a bigger role in the game.”

That’s a bit more telling: Belichick is suggesting undrafted receiver Jakobi Meyers, who was active in Week 9, is more ready than Harry. That makes sense to a degree. Meyers hasn’t missed a practice, while Harry hasn’t been present for many.

The first-round pick is hardly the only Patriots’ rookie whose role has been minuscule so far this season. Cornerback and second-round pick Joejuan Williams and running back Damien Harris have barely seen the field. Tackle and third-round pick Yodny Cajuste has been on the NFI list all season. Defensive end Chase Winovich is the only Patriots rookie from the top three rounds who has played a sizable role (29 percent of defensive snaps). But Harry is the top pick, and with that comes higher expectations.

The Patriots have done what they can to manage those expectations. Belichick has evaded questions on Harry’s development. Brady, meanwhile, may have gone out of his way to temper those expectations.

“It’s gonna be up to him to put the effort in,” Brady said during a press conference last week. ‘Everyone’s there to help him, but you’ve got to go out there and do it, and earn it and earn the trust of your teammates.”

Both Brady and receivers coach Joe Judge said Harry is playing catchup after dealing with an ankle injury during the preseason game in Detroit. He was also nursing another injury prior to that during training camp. As a result, he hasn’t seen many practice reps and, in turn, hasn’t gotten many reps at NFL speed.

“It’s different than running routes in rehab with trainers,” Judge said last week. “And then all of the sudden, you put Stephon Gilmore on (Harry) in 1-on-1s, and you got to get used to the speed of the game, reading the defense and making the adjustments.”

The Patriots’ rationale might be that they’re interested in keeping him off the field for two more weeks to get physically and mentally prepared for Week 11. It’s possible he’s still ailing from that ankle injury — the Patriots didn’t have to list him on the injury report, so it’s unclear if it’s still affecting him. Even if he’s fully healthy, the Boston media environment is tough. Throwing him on the field when he’s not mentally prepared could create (premature) negative buzz. The Patriots do their best to control the narrative — perhaps that’s what they’re doing here, considering the team won’t make Harry available to the media until next week.

So Week 11 will be a judgment day, of sorts. It shouldn’t be a final judgment by any means, but it could be a telling week. We’ll know if he’s healthy because he has to be on the injury report. And if he is healthy and doesn’t play, that’s a bad sign. ASU coach Herm Edwards warned Harry might need time to develop. If he experiences early struggles, he’s not doomed (even if a certain drive time radio show will probably wrongfully call him a bust). But it has been noteworthy that amid all the turnover at receiver, Harry wasn’t ready for Week 9. It will surely be even more discouraging for New England if Harry isn’t ready for Week 11.