Steelers Now
Los Angeles Chargers running back Najee Harris is expected to start in Friday’s season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs, head coach Jim Harbaugh said on Wednesday. Harris missed all of training camp due to a an eye injury he sustained in a fireworks accident on Fourth of July.
Harris went through three straight practices last week and got cleared for contact on Friday. The Chiefs have been preparing for Harris to play.
“He’s looked really good in practice,” Harbaugh said.
Harris said earlier this week that he expected to play against the Chiefs on Friday in Brazil.
“I’m ramping up to it,” Harris said, via Daniel Popper of The Athletic.
Chargers general manager Joe Hortiz said on Aug. 23 that Harris is feeling “great” and could play in their regular-season opener against the Chiefs.
“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.”
Harris did not want to get into any details on what happened in the fireworks accident. He said his vision has not been affected and called the eye injury “superficial.”
Harris’ agent, Doug Hendrickson, said in July that he expected 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.
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: Najee Harris Will Return from Scary Injury in Week 1
