The Los Angeles Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs are set to face off in Brazil on Friday night. After a long and frustrating offseason for former Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris, the Bama product will make his Chargers debut after being cleared from his eye injury.
When the Bolts signed Harris this offseason, the idea was that he would enter the season as the lead back and pick up where he left off after some elite seasons with the Black & Yellow. However, it took a nasty turn when he injured his eye during a 4th of July fireworks accident. This was early July, almost two months ago. After missing a majority of training camp, Harris has been activated to practice.
On Tuesday, the Chargers released their first daily injury report of the season. Harris was listed as a full participant. That is a huge deal for the newly signed Charger.
It doesn't look like Harris will take on a large load this Friday night for the season opener in Brazil. His progress back took some time, and because of the lack of reps with the 1's and all the travel, Harris could begin the contest as the backup to Omarion Hampton. Hampton was drafted in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft out of North Carolina. Speaking of North Carolina, their season opener last night against TCU did not go as planned.
The game plan for the Chargers will likely involve Hampton more often than Harris. Hampton didn't get many reps during preseason games, as he has been practicing as if he were the lead back. So, we have yet to really see Hampton shine in a Bolts uniform so far. The duo of Hampton and Harris should see a ton of success in a Greg Roman-led game plan.
The only other player on the injury report is Elijah Molden, who is recovering from a season-ending knee injury last year. Molden looks to be close to a return and is a crucial member of the Bolts' secondary.
