Up to this point in his career, Najee Harris has never missed an NFL game due to injury. That is all about to change as Harris unfortunately fell victim to the dreaded Achilles tear. Najee Harris’ Achilles tear will end his season as he has his Achilles repaired, and the upcoming year will be full of challenges during rehab to return to the field. Below, I explain these challenges, the rehab timeline, and the historical fantasy impact for running backs coming off of an Achilles tear.
How It Happened
There are two common ways the Achilles tendon tears:
- A defender lands on the back of the heel while the player is driving forward (think J.K. Dobbins).
- The foot lands in a plantarflexed position (toes down) and is rapidly forced into dorsiflexion (toes up) with more load than the Achilles can handle (Najee’s case).
On the play, Najee does a small hop and tries to push off his left foot; the tendon is overloaded and ruptures, with visible calf muscle retraction on video. This is one of the easier injuries to identify in real time and with replay.
Achilles Tear Surgical Outcomes
The surgical procedure to repair the Achilles is relatively simple and quick; however, the rehab is lengthy, and most never regain the same athleticism as they had pre-surgery. Only about 30% of NFL players return after an Achilles tear, and many who do see a lasting performance dip. Even a year post-op, the surgical calf is typically 10–30% weaker with lower endurance, and athletes often show altered mechanics, balance deficits, and stiffer, mechanically inferior tendons for years. That asymmetry reduces burst and durability, raising re-injury risk.
Achilles Tear Rehab Process
Rehab after Achilles repair is a long, challenging process that blends following a timeline with hitting functional milestones. A brief outline of the rehab process is listed below. Note that this is a generic timeline and real timelines may vary and a true rehab program is much more complex and individualized.
Weeks 0–2: Non-weight-bearing in cast/boot with crutches; manage swelling (ice, compression, elevation). Focus on table-based exercises for the glutes, core, quads, and hamstrings
Week 3: Transition to boot with heel lifts; remove one lift every 3–5 days; begin partial weight bearing per surgeon (some protocols hold any weight-bearing longer). Continue with table-based exercises.
Week 6: Progress to full weight bearing; start gentle ROM (avoiding overstretching the Achilles), balance drills; light strengthening (bands → standing). Normalize walking.
Weeks 8–12: Strength exercises in weight-bearing (band walks, body weight squats). Continue balance training.
Weeks 12-16: Advance exercises from weeks 8-12 with emphasis on single-leg function. Begin jogging at week 16 if ready.
Weeks 16–24: Reintroduce jumping, sprinting, and cutting as tolerated.
Beyond 24 weeks: Ongoing progression toward return to sport pending strength/ROM/functional testing and clearance. Typical return to play is 9-12 months.
Najee Harris 2026 Fantasy Outlook
Historical trends for running backs coming off an Achilles tear are very poor. To date, JK Dobbins is the only running back to successfully resume a high-level NFL career. Since 2017 running backs average a 44% decline in fantasy points per game in the first year after an Achilles tear, with 42% never playing again. Harris is a better player than most of the players who never played again (Isaiah Crowell, Tairk Cohen, Eno Benjamin, etc) so I would anticipate him being able to return next season in some capacity, but he has his work cut out for him to be a high volume workhorse again.