Steelers Now
Los Angeles Chargers general manager Joe Hortiz said on Saturday night that running back Najee Harris is feeling “great” and could play in their regular-season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Harris has been sidelined with an eye injury that he suffered in a firework explosion on the Fourth of July. However, he recently took a big step in his road to recovery, as he participated in drills with a football for the first time in training camp on Aug. 13.
“Najee’s doing great, going through all the medical processes,” Hortiz said during an appearance on CBS for the Chargers’ final preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers, via Kris Rhim of ESPN. “But he’s on track, and I think he should be able to go, hopefully in Week 1.”
Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh has been noncommittal on Harris’ status all preseason.
“When Najee’s ready to play, he’ll be ready to play,” Harbaugh said on Thursday. “Right now, to take it past today would be going over the legal limit.”
Harris’ agent, Doug Hendrickson, said in July that he expects his client to be ready for the start of the season.
“Najee Harris was present at a 4th of July event where a fireworks mishap resulted in injuries to several attendees. Najee sustained a superficial eye injury during the incident, but is fully expected to be ready for the upcoming NFL season,” Hendrickson stated.
The NFL has encountered similar situations involving fireworks in the past. Most notably, when Jason Pierre-Paul lost multiple fingers on his hand in 2015. The injury didn’t end his career as he played until 2023.
Los Angeles is surely hoping that’s the case for Harris, who now looks to be nearing a return.
The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Harris with their first-round pick (No. 24 overall) in the 2021 NFL Draft out of Alabama. He was a steady and strong contributor, rushing for at least 1,000 yards in each of his first four seasons, but his career overall underwhelmed compared to his draft position.
The 27-year-old appeared to take the first opportunity out of Pittsburgh that he could, which landed him in his home state of California.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Chargers Get Good News on Najee Harris’ Eye Injury
