Najee Harris carted off with ankle injury in Chargers-Broncos game
Chargers running back Najee Harris leaves the field on a cart after suffering an apparent ankle injury; he is listed as questionable to return.
LOS ANGELES — In Sunday’s NFL matchup at SoFi Stadium, the Los Angeles Chargers lost running back Najee Harris to an ankle injury in the second quarter against the Denver Broncos. The non-contact play occurred with a little more than five minutes left before halftime, and Harris needed help off the field after grabbing his left leg. He was briefly attended to by Chargers medical staff and was carted to the locker room, with the team listing him as questionable to return before later ruling him out for the rest of the game.
Harris had six carries for 28 yards by the time of his injury, part of a slow start to his Chargers tenure after signing in March on a one-year, $9.5 million contract. He had nine carries for 33 yards in the Chargers' first two games of the season, a pace the team had hoped would provide veteran depth behind their offense.
Harris, a former Pro Bowler, spent his first four seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers after they drafted him 24th overall in 2021 and did not miss a game during that stretch. An offseason eye injury suffered during fireworks at an event forced him to miss all of the preseason and delayed his return to practice, adding to questions about how ready he would be for the regular season.
With Harris sidelined, the Chargers will need depth at running back to sustain their ground game and support an offense that has leaned on a balanced attack early in the season. Team officials did not provide a further update on Harris’s status, but his absence would leave opportunities for backups as Los Angeles moves through a challenging early schedule.