Chargers rookie linebacker Junior Colson placed on NFI list after undergoing appendectomy

Los Angeles Chargers rookie linebacker Junior Colson has been placed on the NFI (non-football injury) list after undergoing an appendectomy, head coach Jim Harbaugh revealed.

Colson, who played for Harbaugh on Michigan‘s national championship-winning team last season, was a third-round draft choice for the Chargers during the 2024 NFL Draft.

He was placed on the NFI last week but the reason was undisclosed.

“It’s awesome when you catch those early,” Harbaugh said after the first day of Chargers training camp. “He called Melanie, his mom, and she diagnosed it pretty quick on the phone and got him right into a hospital, and he needed his appendix out.”

Harbaugh added that he doesn’t have a medical degree, so “we’ll just have to see,” when he’s able to get back onto the field.

While no timetable has been revealed for the former Wolverine, high expectations for the young linebacker are fairly high for him in year one — given he’s healthy by the start of the season.

“It seemed like a given that Jim Harbaugh would draft at least one of his former Michigan standouts this year, so seeing Colson land with the Chargers was no surprise,” NFL.com analyst Chad Reuter wrote. “He should be in the mix from Day 1, filling running lanes and chasing backs to the outside whether it’s a stretch play or a throw to the flat. I expect him to crack the 100-tackle mark this season.”

He met similar expectations at Michigan, proving to be an instant-impact performer from the get-go for Harbaugh. Colson developed into a steady off-ball linebacker during his time in Ann Arbor. Across three seasons, Colson played in all 43 games of his career. That included playing with a pair of broken hands at the end of Michigan’s national championship season in 2023. Not much has been able to keep him down.

For his efforts, Colson was named to the freshman All-American team in 2021 before earning All-Big Ten second team status in 2022 and 2023, leading the Wolverines in tackles both years.

Before college, Colson played high school football at Ravenwood (Tenn.) High School, where he was a four-star prospect. He was the No. 91 overall recruit in the 2021 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

The Los Angeles Chargers will begin the 2024 regular season on Sept. 8 against AFC West rival, the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 1.