Los Angeles Chargers Training Camp Storylines: Mike Williams Retires, Najee Harris Injured

Mike Williams retires, Najee Harris suffers an injury, and rookie standouts rise as the Los Angeles Chargers open 2025 training camp with major storylines on both sides of the ball.

Los Angeles Chargers running backs Najee Harris (22), Omarion Hampton (8) and Kimani Vidal (30) look on during offseason workouts at The Bolt. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Chargers look to build off a strong 2024 season as they head into their second year under head coach Jim Harbaugh. They just started training camp this week and already we have big news out of LA. These are the top storylines to follow in the Chargers' camp this summer. 

1 Mike Williams Retires

As camp opened up, we got word that wide receiver Mike Williams was dealing with an injury and could be a PUP candidate to start the regular season. That is no longer a concern because the 30-year-old wideout abruptly retired on Thursday. It was unexpected, to say the least, but injuries have clearly caught up with him. 

Sources: Chargers wide receiver Mike Williams’ agent Tory Dandy informed the team last night that, after eight seasons, his client is retiring from the NFL. Williams walks away from the game at age 30. pic.twitter.com/f97JzkcYHj

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 17, 2025

While in theory this is exciting news because it opens up a clear path for second-rookie Tre Harris to see starter snaps, however, the news may not be so good for the more in-depth fantasy players. I never had any hope of Williams doing much of anything this year, so he was a non-factor in drafts for me. All his absence does now is bump Harris up draft boards and lessen his value. 

2 The Running Back Depth Chart: Omarion Hampton Vs. Najee Harris

After the Chargers signed Najee Harris in free agency and drafted stud rookie Omarion Hampton, this training camp battle was already one of the most intriguing and important battles in the entire league. Hampton has overall RB1 upside if he had this backfield alone, but Harris is a proven veteran who can be trusted to handle a significant workload. His presence was definitely hampering Hampton's value. 

Then, on the fourth of July, Harris suffered an eye injury in a fireworks accident, and it could have changed both his and Hampton's entire season. We haven't gotten many details about the accident; however, we can't rule out him missing the start of the season. What we do know is that it will cost him time in training camp. That opens the door for Hampton to get all the RB1 reps and potentially rip this job away from Harris in camp. The same goes for the start of the season. If Harris is out and Hampton looks great, it's unlikely the rookie ever looks back. 

Breaking: Chargers RB Najee Harris sustained a superficial eye injury during a 4th of July fireworks mishap, sources tell @AdamSchefter.

He is fully expected to be ready for the upcoming NFL season. pic.twitter.com/bT5Pclspxh

— ESPN (@espn) July 10, 2025

3 Interior Offensive Line

The Chargers made a deliberate effort to strengthen their interior offensive line this offseason. They have added multiple pieces, but not all the pieces are in place yet, specifically, at guard and center. Bradley Johnson, Zion Bozeman, Trey Pipkins II, Jamaree Salyer, Andre James, and Mekhi Becton could all factor into the final product that will be the starting offensive line this season.  Harbaugh says he wants to see these players in action at training camp for about eight to 10 days before he even starts penciling in the starting lineup. 

This is how Harbaugh loves to build his teams, and he's great at it. He identifies and develops big men and wins in the trenches. We've seen it throughout his entire coaching career. An improved offensive line helps all the fantasy options in LA. While it does give quarterback Justin Herbert more time in the pocket and will help keep him healthy, the interior line will have more of an impact of the rushing attack than the passing game. This is expected to be a high-volume rushing attack. If anything were to happen to Harris or Hampton that cause them to miss time, an improved line could make Harris an RB1 and Hampton the RB1.