About a week ago, there was uncertainty about whether Najee Harris would be available for the Los Angeles Chargers' Week 1 game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Harris hasn't practiced most of training camp because of an eye injury he suffered on July 4, but he would be doing work on the sidelines.
Harris was recently activated from the NFI list, insinuating he will be ready to roll in Week 1, and he had his first practice with the team, according to ESPN's Kris Rhim.
“Harris looked explosive in individual drills during the portion of practice open to the media and caught multiple passes. He had a yellow jersey, which is worn at practice by players still working through an injury,” Rhim wrote.
Though Harris had on a yellow jersey, it was still a good sign to see him on the field. He's never missed a game in his career, and that streak had a chance of being broken if he wasn't activated by Week 1. Rookie running back Omarion Hampton would have had to step in if Harris wasn't ready to go.
The Chargers haven't had a strong running game since Melvin Gordon III was on the team and ran for over 1,000 yards in 2017. Harris ran for over 1,000 yards in his first four seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the hope is that he can have that success with the Chargers.
Najee Harris working back from eye injury
A few days ago, general manager Joe Hortiz shared optimism surrounding Harris and had a feeling that he'd be ready for Week 1.
“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.
Before then, many weren't sure when Harris would return, as head coach Jim Harbaugh would keep a tight lip when asked about him.
“When Najee is ready to play, he'll be ready to play,” Harbaugh said a few weeks ago. “Right now, to take it past today would be going over the limit.”
As of now, it looks like Harris is ready, and that's good news for the Chargers' offense. They've made some additions this offseason with Harris and old friend Keenan Allen, and they should be one of the better units in the league with Justin Herbert running the show.
If Harris can improve the running game, the Chargers should once again be a competitive team.
