Los Angeles Chargers
A member of the Chargers’ coaching staff has departed the franchise.
Via Daniel Popper of TheAthletic.com, assistant defensive line coach Will Tukuafu has stepped down for personal reasons.
Tukuafu, 41, played under head coach Jim Harbaugh with the 49ers. Harbaugh brought him on staff last year when he was hired with Los Angeles. Tukuafu was previously a defensive quality control coach for the Seahawks, the other team he played for professionally.
Popper notes the Chargers have hired former Colorado State assistant Chuka Ndulue as an Alex G. Spanos coaching fellow.
Playing in the Hall of Fame game on Thursday, July 31, the Chargers began their training camp this week.
The Chargers are set to make an addition to Jim Harbaugh’s coaching staff.
Pete Thamel of ESPN.com reports that Chuka Ndulue will be joining the team as an assistant defensive line coach. Ndulue was the defensive line coach at Colorado State.
Ndulue joined that staff in 2024 after spending two seasons in the same job at New Mexico. He also spent three seasons at Southern Illinois and began his coaching career at Oklahoma in 2017.
Ndulue also played defensive line at Oklahoma and had stints in the NFL with the Broncos and Chargers. He did not appear in any regular season games for either club.
Justin Herbert is hoping to see the field even better this season.
The Chargers quarterback’s blue eyes were noticeably red after the team’s first training camp practice Thursday, and Kris Rhim of ESPN reports it is Herbert’s choice of contact lenses that are responsible for the color change.
The lenses provide UV protection.
“I didn’t have to squint nearly as much,” Herbert said, via Rhim. “When I stepped into the huddle, I think some of the guys were a little surprised. Think they were like, ‘Oh, we’re gonna score.’”
Herbert said he found a tinted visor untenable because it requires wiping off too often.
He began wearing the prescription contacts for sensitive eyes earlier this week and expects to wear them all season.
Herbert said he will double-check with the league to be certain the contacts are within league rules.
NFL teams are beginning to finish rookie contracts with their second-round draft picks, and Chargers wide receiver Tre Harris is finally getting his deal done today as his team opens training camp.
Harris has agreed to terms with the Chargers, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
Harris’s signing came just hours after Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh said he was optimistic that Chargers General Manager Joe Hortiz can work with Harris’s camp to get a deal done.
“It’s really important,” Harbaugh said. “There’s a business side to football and he and Joe Hortiz will get that worked out. Just have confidence in that, and coach the guys that are here. I hope it gets done sooner than later. I’m not going to tell you different than that. That’s facts, as the young people say.”
After the first two picks of the second round received unprecedented fully guaranteed contracts, the rest of the second round remained unsigned for months while agents and teams negotiated bigger guarantees of their own. But the dam is breaking today, with several second-round picks now getting their contracts done and getting to work.
For the first four years of Justin Herbert’s career, Mike Williams was a pillar of the Chargers’ receiving corps.
After spending 2024 elsewhere, Williams had returned to Los Angeles on a one-year deal in March.
But the true reunion was not to be, as Williams elected to retire at the onset of training camp. Williams had been placed on the physically unable to perform list earlier this week.
“I want what’s best for Mike. He’s always been there for us, and we’re going to be there for him,” Herbert said in his Thursday press conference, via Eric Smith of the team’s website. “It’s obviously a tough situation, and I’ve got so much respect for him as a teammate, as a friend, as a receiver, as a player, and the man that he is.
“We’re going to be there for him however we can help. Football, at the end of the day, is a game and there’s more to life than just football. I’m just hoping for the best for him.”
Herbert added that Williams was reliable in clutch situations.
“He’s going to make a play and when everything mattered the most, he was going to show up,” Herbert said. “That’s what I’m going to remember the most about him, it was an honor to play alongside him, throw him the ball, and definitely heartbreaking, tough news to hear about. But we got his back no matter what.”
While Herbert noted that the Chargers “can’t replace a guy like that,” the quarterback still feels good about his receiving corps.
“Thankfully, we got a receiver room that continues to push each other, they compete, and they want to be the best,” Herbert said. “Thankfully, we got a lot of guys in that room that are going to make plays.
“We’ve seen it last year and the year before, it’s a veteran group, and I’m excited for the opportunity for these guys.”
When receiver Mike Williams elected to return to the Chargers this offseason, he said that he had something to prove after a “terrible” 2024 with the Jets and Steelers.
But then Williams landed on the physically unable to perform list to start training camp.
Now, Williams has elected to hang up his cleats.
According to multiple reports, Williams has informed the Chargers that he is retiring.
Williams, 30, was the Chargers’ first draft selection after the club relocated to Los Angeles in 2017. He was the No. 7 overall pick of that year’s draft out of Clemson.
But Williams’ career was marred by injury. He dealt with a back issue in his rookie season and had another one in 2022. Then he suffered a torn ACL in 2023, which likely hindered him in 2024. He was able to appear in every game in a season only twice — in 2018 with the Chargers, and then he played 18 games last season — nine with the Jets and nine with the Steelers.
Williams eclipsed 1,000 yards twice — in 2019 and 2021, both with the Chargers. His best season was the latter, as he ended the year with 76 receptions for a team-high 1,146 yards while also leading the team with nine receiving touchdowns.
Williams will end his career having appeared in 106 games with 67 starts. He recorded 330 receptions for 5,104 yards with 32 touchdowns.
The Chargers officially announced on Thursday that they’ve placed running back Najee Harris on the non-football injury list.
While it’s unclear when he’ll be able to get on the field, head coach Jim Harbaugh confirmed Harris is in the building and participating in meetings after sustaining an eye injury in a fireworks mishap at a July 4 event.
“‘Naj’ is here, he’s in meetings. It’s great to have him,” Harbaugh said, via Alex Insdorf of BoltBeat.com. “A lot of gratitude that he’s here. Gosh, I’m the age of being a parent — I’ve got kids that are these guys’ age. So, just the feeling of having everybody back under the same roof is a good feeling.”
Harbaugh didn’t want to address the medical aspect of Harris’ absence, declining to address when the running back may be able to practice.
Agent Doug Hendrickson noted in a previous statement that Harris is “fully expected to be ready for the upcoming NFL season.”
Harris, 27, signed a one-year deal with the Chargers in March. The running back rushed for 1,043 yards with six touchdowns and caught 36 passes for 283 yards for the Steelers last year.
The Chargers added an offensive tackle to their training camp roster on Thursday.
The team announced the signing of Ryan Nelson. The team did not need to make a corresponding move to get Nelson on the 90-man roster.
Nelson played for the Michigan Panthers in the UFL this season and was named to the All-UFL team at the end of the campaign. Nelson spent the last three years with the club and he started 22 of the 28 games he appeared in over that span.
Nelson also gained experience at guard while playing for the University of Virginia and will compete for a roster spot with Los Angeles over the coming weeks.
Wide receiver Tre Harris is one of 30 unsigned second-round picks and Chargers General Manager Joe Hortiz didn’t have much of an update as to when the rookie will be joining the team at training camp.
The two second-round picks that signed with their teams — the 33rd and 34th overall picks — received fully guaranteed deals and Harris became the first unsigned rookie not to report to camp when the Chargers opened up this week. Hortiz did not touch on where negotiations with the 55th overall pick stand, but said “it’s just somebody’s got to sign and all of a sudden you have the layers” needed for the rest of the round to get their deals done.
“I wish I could put a crystal ball in it, I hope it’s done soon, I hope he gets out here and practices,” Hortiz said, via the team’s website. “Practice is vital for everybody, not just him, everybody. There’s a reason we come to camp, you want to hit the ground running Week 1. Every day missed affects everyone differently, but certainly you want guys out here practicing so hopefully we have him out here soon.”
Harris is bidding for playing time in a wide receiving corps that also includes Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnston, and Mike Williams, but his push will remain on hold until something happens to move things along on the contract front.
Chargers left tackle Rashawn Slater reported to training camp Wednesday despite not having a contract extension.
General Manager Joe Hortiz said contract talks continue.
“Having good conversations,” Hortiz said, via Eric Smith of the team website. “I talked with Pat [Collins] yesterday, his agent, talked with him today. We’re working through it.
“Like any high-level negotiation contract — I’ve seen plenty of them done in Baltimore and been involved in discussions internally — they just take time. Every conversation has been great. Both sides we’re making progress and feel good about it. Feel good about the progress we’re making.”
Slater is entering the final year of his rookie contract, set to make $19.040 million on the fifth-year option.
He missed some of the voluntary offseason work but said at the mandatory minicamp last month that he had “no concern about it at all.”
The Chargers begin practice Thursday, prompting a question about whether Slater will participate or hold-in.
“I can’t speak for him; I don’t want to speak for him,” Hortiz said. “But, yeah, we’re expecting him to practice.”
Slater has become one of the best players at his position since the Chargers took him 13th overall in 2021.He has made the Pro Bowl twice in four seasons, including in 2024.