W
eek three marked a very rough week for the Los Angeles Chargers. Despite beating the Denver Broncos to improve to 3-0 for the first time since 2002, the Chargers also received some very concerning injury news that could severely affect the rest of their season. Running back Najee Harris, who left the game in the second quarter with a calf injury, has a torn achilles and will miss the rest of the 2025 season.
Signing a one-year deal with the Chargers this past offseason, the Chargers were counting on Harris to provide another weapon for quarterback Justin Herbert and help the Chargers offense take another step forward. But now that Harris is out for the rest of the season, all eyes turn to rookie Omarion Hampton, who now has the chance to really prove that he is the running back of the future in Los Angeles.
Harris’ Injury
Dealing with an eye injury that kept him sidelined for all of training camp, the Chargers had Harris on a snap count to start the season but in week three, he finally was unleashed– racking up 28 yards on six carries. Harris was looking very good and provided hope that the Chargers could form a two-headed monster at running back.
But Harris injured himself when trying to push off on a play action play, going down in a non-contact situation and immediately grabbing his left calf. Getting help off the field, head coach Jim Harbaugh indicated right away that it was an achilles injury. With Hampton being a rookie and still adjusting to the NFL game, having Harris would have helped a lot– giving the Chargers a good rotation while not overusing their first round pick right away. But now, the Chargers will need to use Hampton at a volume that they did not anticipate in 2025.
Hampton’s New Role
After the game, Hampton was asked about Harris’ injury and what it means for him– acknowledging that he’s ‘gotta step it up.’ And week three proved that Hampton has what it takes to be the workhorse in Harbaugh’s offense, recording 19 carries for 70 yards and a touchdown while averaging 3.7 yards per carry. Hampton did fumble, but it ended up having no effect on the outcome of the game for the Chargers. After the game, Harbaugh had some high praise for his star rookie.
“I’m not surprised. We knew how special he was as soon as he got here,” Harbaugh said. “Running back is an incredibly tough position. The way he’s fought and picked up the offense, we’re asking a lot of him… especially as a rookie.”
Despite Hampton taking on the role as the unquestioned starting running back, the Chargers will still look to create a rotation between him and another running back in order to lessen the burden on Hampton in his rookie season. Guys like Hassan Haskins, Kimani Vidal, Amar Johnson or a possible free agent signing are candidates to fill the void left by Harris in the running back rotation.
But regardless of what happens, Hampton will look to be the first Chargers running back since Melvin Gordon back in 2017 to record a 1,000 yard season and considering how Harbaugh’s offense is known for its high powered rushing attack, good production out of Hampton will give Harbaugh and his staff the type of offense that they envisioned when they took the job prior to last season.
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