Chargers' Junior Colson Reflects on 'Fun' Preseason Debut

Colson made his NFL debut on Saturday.

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Los Angeles Chargers rookie linebacker Junior Colson made his NFL debut on Saturday as he helped the Chargers earn a 26-19 win over the Dallas Cowboys. Colson began training camp sidelined after undergoing an appendectomy before the start of his camp. He gradually started working off on the side during camp practices and returned to team drills in practice last week.

Over a week after his practice return, Colson played in his first NFL game. The 21-year-old recorded five total tackles as he contributed to a dominant defensive performance for the Chargers. The Chargers defense forced six turnovers and three sacks in Sunday's victory and held the Cowboys to under 20 points.

"It felt great, for real," Colson said of his first NFL action, via Chargers.com's Eric Smith. "It felt great, got me out there, got my feet wet.

"I was just out there having fun. I want to keep going," Colson added. "It's a lot of fun, my first NFL game, I think it went really well. I'm excited for the season."

Colson also left an impression on head coach Jim Harbaugh, who previously coached Colson at Michigan over the last three seasons.

Harbaugh said, "I think he's been chomping at the bit ... looking forward to watching the tape, thought he did a good job. Really good job."

The Chargers' third-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft plans to be ready for Week 1 even after just making his return to a game on Saturday.

"I'll be ready for Week 1," Colson said. "I'm ready for Week 0 if there was a Week 0. Just excited to go out there and play ball."

Colson is expected to begin the season backing up linebackers Denzel Perryman and Daiyan Henley. Perryman returned to the Chargers this offseason after previously playing for the team from 2015-20 and provides the team with another veteran presence in the middle of the field.

Henley was the Chargers' third-round pick a year ago, and has the edge in experience over Colson, especially after Colson missed a good portion of camp with his appendectomy.

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