Charger Report

Chargers hadn't seen Najee Harris since fireworks accident and injury

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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Los Angeles Chargers running back Najee Harris remains a question mark after the eye injury he suffered during a fireworks accident earlier this month. 

The Chargers already revealed that Harris could start training camp on the NFI list, noting that the veteran running back has been getting treatment for the injury at Stanford. 

Notably, Chargers general manager Joe Hortiz revealed before Harris reported to camp that the team hadn’t actually seen Harris yet, preventing them from getting more clarity on the situation. 


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"Surface-level injury, obviously around the eye, so I'm sure there's bruising and all that. But we haven't seen him," Hortiz said, according to Eric Smith of the team’s official website.. "We'll get more clarity when he gets here and our doctors see him, but we're in communication with the doctors there."

Otherwise, Hortiz noted that Chargers medical staff had been in contact with Harris’ doctors for updates. But how and if things will change when he actually gets in the building remains to be seen. 


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For now, Harris could be out for an unknown stretch of time due to the injury. And it shoves first-round pick Omarion Hampton directly into the spotlight without one of the NFL’s most durable and consistent veterans there to soak up snaps. 

If there’s a silver lining, it’s that the veteran Harris probably won’t have any problems picking up the offense from the sidelines during camp. Hampton could benefit more from the live reps, too, as he gets used to the pro level. 

Los Angeles Chargers running back Najee Harris
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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Chris Roling
CHRIS ROLING

Chris Roling has covered the NFL since 2010 with stints at Bleacher Report, USA TODAY Sports Media Group and others. Raised a Bengals fan in the '90s, the Andy Dalton era was smooth sailing by comparison. He graduated from the E. W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University and remains in Athens.

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