It's time for the Los Angeles Chargers to focus on the regular season, and most of the team should be healthy for Week 1 against the Kansas City Chiefs. Najee Harris' status is still up in the air, as he's been on the non-football injury list for the entire training camp after he got into a situation on July 4. Apparently, he suffered a “superficial” eye injury, but the Chargers haven't shared what the injury was.
Though there was some uncertainty surrounding his availability, general manager Joe Hortiz gave the fans some hope that Harris would be ready when the season starts, according to ESPN's Kris Rhim.
“Najee's doing great, going through all the medical processes, but he's on track and I think he should be able to go, hopefully Week 1,” Hortiz said.
Hortiz definitely sang a different tune than head coach Jim Harbaugh has during the preseason, and he hasn't given a clear answer on when the running back would return to the field.
“When Najee is ready to play, he'll be ready to play,” Harbaugh said earlier in the week. “Right now, to take it past today would be going over the limit.”
At this point, it's hard to know who to believe, but the hope is that Harris can return to the field soon.
Najee Harris dealing with an eye injury
The Chargers haven't been specific about Harris' eye injury, and it's not a surprise, as Harbaugh has always kept things like this close to the vest. Harbaugh will most likely share more details when the league requires teams to, which is leading into Week 1.
Harris was seen participating in drills for the first time during preseason on Aug. 12, and has been working on the side with an athletic trainer. He was seen on the field with a helmet and visor, or dark glasses, so his eyes weren't visible to others.
The Chargers signed Harris during free agency with the goal of improving their running game, as he had so for years with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Harris has also never missed a game in his career, and it seems like that's something that caught the eyes of the Chargers when they signed him. Now, they're trying to find out if this will be the first time in his career that he misses a game in Week 1, or if he will be ready to go when they face the Chiefs.
