Najee Harris, running back for the Los Angeles Chargers, is set to report to training camp late Wednesday evening. He should begin the year on the non-football injury (NFI) list due to an eye injury suffered in a 4th of July fireworks accident. The incident crippled an Atlanta-based hip-hop artist and friend of Harris. When the dust settled, there’s considerable worry on how prepared the running back will be come next season.
Harris had been receiving care in Stanford for the last two weeks. The doctors are doing everything they can to assess the severity of his injury. The Chargers’ medical staff are closely monitoring his status on an ongoing basis. It isn’t yet known how long he will remain on the NFI list, if at all. If he doesn’t make the list by roster cutdown, then he has to be sidelined for a minimum of the first four regular season games. Time is running out, and he must move quickly!
Joe Hortiz, the Chargers’ senior personnel executive, mentioned that both Harris and wide receiver Mike Williams are expected to recover quickly. Fischer sounded hopeful about Harris’ prognosis, saying, “Everything that’s been communicated to us has been positive.” Hortiz categorized Harris’ injury as “superficial,” according to Harris’ agent, Doug Hendrickson.
Even after Harris’ recent injury setback, there is plenty of optimism about his return. Hortiz said that he hopes Harris’ time on the NFI list would not be too long. He admitted that from here on out, they have to watch carefully both Harris and Williams as they both enter a new season going forward.
“I wish I could put a crystal ball on it. I hope it’s done soon,” – Joe Hortiz
The Chargers will decide between keeping or releasing Harris based on how he reports to camp. His play throughout training camp will be extremely important. It should go a long way toward answering if he can get back to full strength before regular season action tips off.
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