Jim Harbaugh's Denzel Perryman suspension comments won't impress Cowboys fans

Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh is known for going to bat for his guys no matter what.

That was certainly the case in the aftermath of the NFL announcing the two-game suspension for Chargers linebacker Denzel Perryman after his hit during last week’s win over the Dallas Cowboys.

Harbaugh told reporters such as ESPN’s Kris Rhim that Perryman has made a concentrated effort to keep helmet contact out of his game completely.

“I thought he was trying to go over the tackle and over the ball carrier and hopefully that’ll be taken into consideration on appeal,” Harbaugh said. “I think Denzel’s done a good job…a great job…of trying to take the helmet out of his play. And I know he'll continue to do that.”

Harbaugh’s commentary, though, didn’t get much in the way of agreement from those in charge of the appeals process.

Jim Harbaugh’s comments don’t impact Denzel Perryman appeal

Los Angeles Chargers middle linebacker Denzel Perryman — Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Tuesday night, the NFL revealed that Perryman had lost his appeal and will need to serve the full two-game ban.

Appeals office Jordy Nelson oversaw the appeal and upheld the ban.

For fans, it was probably a little jarring to see Perryman’s ban upheld over a bang-bang play that included what could’ve been incidental contact on the same day that Pittsburgh Steelers wideout DK Metcalf had his own two-game ban upheld after making contact with a fan in the stands.

Here's the play from the second quarter where #Chargers LB Denzel Perryman hits #Cowboys WR Ryan Flournoy: https://t.co/SUIhWEqBQE pic.twitter.com/IVeZFm4vj0
— Tommy Yarrish (@tommy_yarrish) December 22, 2025

Alas, the initial ban for Perryman cited past infractions of the same rule and that surely weighed heavily in the process. Like Chargers teammate Derwin James, Perryman has been fined and even suspended in past years for player safety violations involving helmet usage during tackles.

For better or worse, that sort of history doesn’t leave a player’s record when weighing new infractions.

So, while Harbaugh likely sees the work Perryman and others have put into making sure these things don’t happen, the NFL and NFLPA have decided that the past looms large in these scenarios.

And it means that the Chargers are in big trouble over the final two weeks without Perryman in the heart of the defense. They will need to lean on Troy Dye and other backups in what are essentially playoff games with divisions and even conference implications against Houston and Denver in Weeks 17 and 18.

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