The Los Angeles Chargers placed long snapper Josh Harris on injured reserve on Tuesday as the NFL team reduced its preseason roster to the regular-season limit of 53 active players.
Before this year, that designation would have been season-ending for Harris. But a new rule allows each NFL team to designate for return two players who are on injured reserve at the 53-man roster deadline, and Los Angeles did so with Harris.
Before this year, the Chargers would have needed to keep Harris on the initial 53 before putting him on injured reserve to be able to bring him back during the season.
The IR designation will require Harris to sit out at least the first four games of the season.
In his 13 NFL seasons, Harris has missed five games – all in 2018. He has appeared in 207 regular-season and nine playoff games and was a Pro Bowl selection in 2021.
Last season, Harris became the ninth Auburn alumnus to play in 200 NFL regular-season games. He joined Al Del Greco with 248 games, Tony Richardson 234, Kevin Greene 228, Wayne Gandy and Takeo Spikes 219 apiece, Karlos Dansby 212, Ed West 211 and Chris Gray 208 as the former Auburn players with at least 200 regular-season appearances in the NFL.
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The active Auburn alumnus with the next-most NFL regular-season games to Harris’ total entering the 2025 season is Washington Commanders cornerback Jonathan Jones with 132. At 112 games, Las Vegas Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson is the only other former Auburn player with more than 100 who will be playing in 2025.
Harris left Los Angeles’ preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday night after getting up slowly on a punt by the Chargers with 5:19 left in the third quarter. He left for the locker room, and Los Angeles finished the game with tight end Tucker Fisk filling in for Harris.
The Chargers have not released the nature of Harris’ injury.
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at@AMarkG1.
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