The Los Angeles Chargers were quick to jump on one of the biggest names on this year's free-agent market, signing former Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris to a one-year deal worth up to $9.5 million.
That salary number raised eyebrows and it became an even bigger question when the team drafted Omarion Hampton in the first round. However, that was more of a situation where the Chargers felt they couldn't pass on Hampton's talent when he fell to them rather than a move they planned out.
Still, the biggest reason the Chargers signed Harris — and the main thing that separated him from J.K. Dobbins — was his durability. In four seasons in the NFL, not only has Harris rushed for at least 1,000 yards in each of them, but he's never missed a single game.
That was something that Joe Hortiz and Jim Harbaugh obviously coveted, so how ironic is it that Harris will start training camp on the Non-Football Injury (NFI) list? A mishap with fireworks on July 4 caused a "superficial" injury to Harris' eye.
The end result may be that Harris doesn't miss much time, but would he miss a game or two if it were the regular season? The point is, his availability is what made him so attractive to this team, and that perception may have already been changed.
That leads to other running backs on the roster — primarily Kimani Vidal and Raheim Sanders — to step up and show their worth during his absence, regardless of how long that's for.
Perhaps even more importantly, it opens the door for Hampton to get a firm grasp on the team's No. 1 running back job, something many feel is inevitable anyway. It's not the end of the world that Harris will start training camp in this fashion, but it does put a bit of a dent in his perceived armor.
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