Najee Harris' season ended with an Achilles tear. Developments in treatment have made the Achilles injury easier to come back from. Here's how recent running backs did in coming back from it.
Najee Harris didn't get a chance to play much for the Chargers before tearing his Achilles tendon. Historically, it has been a tough one for running backs to recover from. Here are some recent examples of star backs who faced the challenge and the returns they achieved.
Super (Bowl) Cam
In 2021, Cam Akers tore his Achilles tendon and returned 5.5 months later. It was the help of a procedure known as the SpeedBridge, which has been developed to repair the tendon. While the speed was as advertised, he lost a step and ended up running for only 2.5 yards per carry. He drew criticism in a limited role as the team made a Super Bowl run.
Marlon Mack returned from a right Achilles tear in 2020, only to tear his left in 2023.
D'Onta Foreman defied an early career Achilles tear in 2017 to be a contributor on multiple teams. He took over a year to return, but when he did, he was ready to go.
James Robinson returned 9 months after an Achilles tear in 2021 but never found his form again.
One of the early changes in treatment and recovery has been getting players out of their walking boots earlier and seeing if they can put weight on it.
What do players lose post-Achilles tears?
This is critical because one of the common themes with the injury seems to be the loss of explosion. While Najee Harris was always more powerful than nimble, he established himself as a solid threat catching out of the backfield. Before the injury, he was a league iron man, having appeared in 71 straight starts across regular and postseason play.
The 6'1, 232-pound back was the only player to post a thousand rushing yards each season during his first four years in Pittsburgh from 2021-2024.
As a rookie, he led all backs with 74 catches. It's perhaps this part of his game that will be most affected. His trademark hard-to-tackle running with a great stiff arm should be able to continue at a comparable pace. He could also be used as a short-yardage specialist.
A weakness of his game was a 3.9 yards per carry average in Pittsburgh. Perhaps a testament to his lower-than-average top speed.
As far as the Chargers are concerned, they signed him to a one-year contract, there's a new offensive coordinator, and a rookie back stepped up. So although there will be consideration to bring him back, they won't be contractually obligated to.
It would have been great to see him get more carries last year, although his absence paved the way for Omarion Hampton to break out.