Los Angeles Chargers running back Najee Harris is doing drills again. Beyond that, we don’t know much.
The former Pro Bowler was seen running drills with a football on Tuesday for the first time in training camp, according to ESPN’s Kris Rhim. He reportedly did so off to the side with a trainer.
Advertisement
It has been more than a month since Harris sustained what was described as a “superficial” eye injury during a Fourth of July fireworks mishap. His agent insisted he would be ready for the start of the regular season, but the Chargers have so far been hesitant to provide anything resembling a timetable for his return.
Teams are not required to issue injury reports during camp, so there’s been no official record of the injury yet. Per ESPN, Harris had been walking laps with a helmet and weighted vest around the Chargers’ practice field since Aug. 2.
[Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season]
We got our best look at the state of Harris’ eye last week, when he posted a selfie while wearing a helmet. His visor partially obscures the picture, but his eye appears to be fully closed. Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh later told reporters Harris can, in fact, open his eye, but it’s hardly encouraging when an NFL head coach has to make that clarification.
Advertisement
Harbaugh also admitted there was a chance Harris isn’t ready for Week 1.
Whether or not Harris is ready for their opener on Sept. 5, the Chargers are trending toward a running back committee after moving on from their top two rushers last season in J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards.
Behind Harris, who joined the team on a one-year, $9.5 million deal this offseason, are first-round rookie Omarion Hampton and backups Kimani Vidal, Hassan Haskins and Nyheim Miller-Hines. Chargers offensive coordinator Greg Roman said Tuesday a rotation was inevitable:
“There will be rotation no matter what happens … The day of the one running back taking every rep, it’s kinda gone the way of the prehistoric creatures.”
In addition to Harris, the Chargers are now facing uncertainty, with projected starting right guard Mekhi Becton, who joined them on a two-year, $20 million deal in March. Roman said Becton was “working through something” and said “he’ll be fine,” but also admitted he was “not putting anything in concrete” about his Week 1 availability.
Read the full article here
