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s the Los Angeles Chargers get closer and closer to the start of the regular season, one of their most important pieces is slowly making his return from an injury. Running back Najee Harris, who injured his eye in a Fourth of July incident, has resumed drills and is trending in the right direction towards a return to action.
Spending the first four seasons of his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Harris signed a one-year deal to return to his native California this offseason, and will prove that he can be a major impact for the Chargers as he looks to earn a long term deal. If Harris is able to return to the Chargers in time for the regular season, a running back tandem of Harris and Omarion Hampton could wreak havoc for the rest of the league.
Harris’ Injury
During the July 4th holiday, Harris was celebrating at an event when a mishap with fireworks led him and several attendees to suffer minor injuries. The eye injury that Harris sustained was considered ‘superficial’ and is nothing that is expected to keep him out long term. But during a time when Harris is competing for a starting spot while trying to earn a big contract, missing time is not ideal for the former Alabama superstar.
“”Najee Harris was present at a 4th of July event where a fireworks mishap resulted in injuries to several attendees,” Harris’ agent said in a statement via ESPN. “Najee sustained a superficial eye injury during the incident but is fully expected to be ready for the upcoming NFL season.”
Harris was spotted doing drills off to the side at August 12th’s practice, and while he was not taking part in any of the team drills, doing any sort of workout is major progress for Harris. But head coach Jim Harbaugh recently said that “there’s a chance” that Harris will not be ready in time for the team’s regular season opener in Brazil on September 5 against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Harris’ Role with the Chargers This Season
Harris has played in all 17 games since entering the league in 2021 as the 24th overall pick and has recorded over 1,000 yards in each and every season. However, only averaging 3.9 yards per carry in his career, Harris has not fully lived up to expectations– which led to him not being retained by the Steelers and signing a one-year prove it deal with the Chargers. But after the Chargers invested the 22nd pick in Hampton this year, Harris will be in a timeshare for carries and will look to show that he can still be an impact player.
Overall during his time with the Steelers, Harris played and started all 68 games, carrying the ball 1,097 times for 4,312 yards and 28 touchdowns. In three playoff games, he has 30 carries for 83 yards and no touchdowns.
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