Former Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris is likely to begin Los Angeles Chargers training camp on the non-football injury list, and could miss some practices, Chargers general manager Joe Hortiz said.
Harris could be activated from that list at any time. He suffered an eye injury on the Fourth of July during a fireworks accident. The former first-round pick has been receiving treatment at Stanford in Palo Alto, California.
“Surface-level injury,” Hortiz said about the injury. “Obviously around the eye, so I’m sure there’s bruising and all that. We haven’t seen him, so we’ll get more clarity when he gets in here and our doctors see him.”
Harris’ agent, Doug Hendrickson, said after the injury that the injury is not expected to force Harris to miss time in the regular season, but it could cost him some time during training camp.
“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 wrote.
Five people were hurt in the blast, according to a report by CBS Bay Area. Harris went to John Muir Hospital and later to Stanford Hospital for treatment.
Harris signed a one-year deal with the Chargers in March after four seasons with the Steelers. He is expected to compete with first-round pick Omarion Hampton for the starting running back job.
The Steelers’ first-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft out of Alabama, Harris rushed for over 1,000 yards in each of his first four seasons, one of only 14 running backs to do that in NFL history. On top of that, Harris never missed a game in his career.
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.