Chargers rookie linebacker Junior Colson finding comfort zone in NFL

EL SEGUNDO — Junior Colson didn’t need to forge a bond with his head coach after the Chargers drafted him in the third round of the NFL draft in April. Colson already knew head coach Jim Harbaugh because he played for him at the University of Michigan. Introductions were unnecessary.

Colson, a 21-year-old linebacker, didn’t need to get to know defensive coordinator Jesse Minter because they, too, were together at Michigan and they were well acquainted with each other. The same went for Ben Herbert, the Chargers’ executive director of player performance.

The maize and blue runs deep within the Chargers’ new headquarters, and Colson was one of the beneficiaries.

That’s not to say he didn’t have to prove himself worthy of a spot on the Chargers’ 53-man roster. He did. He also had to overcome a delayed entry into his first NFL training camp after undergoing an appendectomy during the offseason. He played in only one of the Chargers’ three preseason games.

Colson had five tackles in the Chargers’ victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday in Arlington, Texas, reaffirming all Harbaugh and Minter knew about him from his days in Ann Arbor. Making a good first impression is always important, but Colson had already made his with the coaches.

“It’s a lot of fun,” Colson said. “They are the same people here coaching you just as hard. They understand you and you understand them in how they operate. Having those guys with me, I think I’ve been placed in a situation where I’ve been blessed to have those types of guys around me.

“I’m happy. I’m enjoying it.”

Colson showed zero signs of rust once he was cleared to resume practicing. He stood out recently in team drills, in particular, and he certainly didn’t look out of place during his debut against the Cowboys, a 26-19 victory. He played a modest total of 21 snaps on defense plus three more on special teams.

“I think I’ve performed very, very, very well,” he said of his play in camp and during Saturday’s game. “As the reps come my way and stuff, I’ve got to make sure I’m ready for those, ready for anything that happens. Because that’s the only thing I can do, the only thing I can control myself.”

In a way, missing the opening weeks of camp helped Colson drill down on what was needed. At least that was Minter’s theory. Colson did all he could to stay involved while he worked out under the watchful eyes of athletic trainers. He watched videos. He was engaged in team meetings.

“He’s the same Junior that I remember and maybe in the weird way adversity is an opportunity,” Minter said. “I think he’s put himself in a really good position to battle for playing time at the start of the year. If he’s in there, I expect him to be the Junior that I’ve always known.”

Beyond the lightning bolt on Harbaugh’s Chargers baseball cap instead of the block M on his cap at Michigan, Colson said he’s noticed only some minor differences in the only head coach he’s known since he left high school in suburban Nashville, Tennessee, for the 2021 college season.

“I think we’re always evolving, we’re always changing,” Colson said of the Harbaugh who was coach of the Wolverines for nine seasons and the Harbaugh who is now back in the NFL after nearly a decade in the college ranks. “To the core, he’s the same person, but just different.”

ROSTER MOVES

The Chargers named 15 players to their practice squad and claimed running back Hassan Haskins off waivers from the Tennessee Titans. Haskins was a fourth-round pick in the 2022 draft after playing for Harbaugh at Michigan (2018-21). They also waived defensive back JT Woods.

In addition, the Chargers acquired cornerback Elijah Molden from the Titans in exchange for a late-round draft pick, according to NFL Network. Molden spent the past three seasons with the Titans, who drafted him in the third round of the 2021 NFL draft from the University of Washington.

The practice squad: Karsen Barnhart (OL), Luke Benson (TE), Andrew Farmer II (OLB), Tucker Fisk (TE), Matt Hankins (CB), Christopher Hinton (DL), Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste (LB), Cornelius Johnson (WR), Jaylen Johnson (WR), Robert Kennedy (CB), Alex Leatherwood (OL), Tre’Mon Morris-Brash (OLB), CJ Okoye (DL), Shaq Quarterman (LB) and Isaiah Spiller (RB).