DJ Chark article in the Athletic

[NAS]

https://theathletic.com/4744064/2023/08/03/panthers-dj-chark-deep-threat/
 

SPARTANBURG, S.C. — It hasn’t taken long for Carolina Panthers wide receiver DJ Chark to develop timing with rookie quarterback Bryce Young, especially on the deep-throw connections that have become a daily occurrence at Wofford.

But Young isn’t the first quarterback with whom Chark quickly built a rapport. That honor belongs to Darrell Chark Sr., whose drill work with his son — which included some creative coaching aids — is paying off nearly 20 years later.

Before he was a four-star prospect at Alexandria (La.) High, a starting receiver at LSU or a second-round draft pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Chark was a 7-year-old boy who loved football almost as much as he loved video games.

His dad made a deal with him. Before he could get the video game controller in the afternoon, Chark had to spend mornings going through a series of football drills with his father. Darrell Chark would find an old truck tire for his son to push to build strength and would tie ropes together to form an impromptu agility ladder to improve Chark’s quickness.

We didn’t really have the finances to go buy all these things,” Chark recalled this week. “So he’d make these things and we’d go out there and do it.”

Darrell Chark, who played in high school and later tried out for an adult league in Alexandria, also threw passes to his son. In quick succession, he would loft the ball over Chark’s shoulder on a post pattern before having him change directions and hitting him on a corner route.

“So I’d run, catch the post and then have to drop the ball and instantly turn my head around and run and go catch the other one,” Chark said. “Just worked over the shoulder a lot, things like that. So as I got older, I did it so much that it kind of becomes just second nature.”

Though Chark missed the start of OTAs while recovering from an offseason foot/ankle surgery, he did catch one deep ball from Young in the spring. That was a precursor to the aerial shows the two have put on in Spartanburg, where the 6-foot-4 Chark has made some sweet catches by leaning back while keeping his hands down until the last second so as not to tip off the defensive back.

“We work on it. It’s called late hands,” receivers coach Shawn Jefferson said. “He’s got a knack for those catches. He’s been having a helluva camp.”

Donte Jackson, one of those defensive backs, has watched Chark’s contortion act since the two were teammates at LSU. “You can see all the body direction, all the stuff he can do when the ball’s in the air,” Jackson said. “I think that’s gonna be good for us and a young quarterback.”

Chark’s talent has never been in question. He posted the fastest 40 time (4.34 seconds) and best vertical jump (40 inches) among all receivers at the 2018 combine. He notched a 1,000-yard receiving season and went to the Pro Bowl in 2019 for a Jaguars team that finished 6-10 with Gardner Minshew and Nick Foles at quarterback. Jefferson, the former NFL wideout whose son Van is a Los Angeles Rams receiver, thinks Chark is among the 10 fastest receivers in the league.

The problem for Chark has been staying healthy. He’s never made it through a full season in the NFL and missed 19 of 34 games the past two seasons with the ankle injury that was addressed surgically after the 2022 season.

Chark was never 100 percent last year during his only season in Detroit. Still, he posted three games with 94-plus receiving yards in a four-game stretch in December after returning from the injury. One of those came against Carolina on Christmas Eve, when Chark hauled in a 51-yard reception to highlight a season-best, 108-yard receiving day.

“I came back and played through the injury, and I played well,” he said. “I didn’t talk to anybody about that. It’s more so something I took on the chin.”

Chark knows that many fans and media members have attached the “injury-prone” label on him. But those are not the opinions he values.

“I hear it. But at the end of the day what someone says about me or thinks about me doesn’t affect anything because I know what I can do and I know what the guys around me believe,” Chark said. “One thing I always pride myself on is making sure my team knows who I am. If you’re not on this team, then it really don’t matter what you think. Because the guys on this team — same as in Detroit — the guys on that team knew what I brought to the table every day at practice.”

Chark’s injury history has cost him money.

After signing a one-year, $10 million contract with the Detroit Lions in 2022, Chark accepted another one-year, prove-it deal with Carolina worth $5 million guaranteed.

“I don’t feel pressure to prove it to anybody outside of myself. I just feel like it’s time for me to get back on track,” he said. “I know what I am. I know what my talent is. I’ve dealt with some difficult circumstances. But one thing I know about me, I’m gonna keep pushing through.”

Jefferson said Chark’s ankle injury was initially misdiagnosed in Detroit and credited the receiver for playing through it. He predicted a clean bill of health for Chark this year.

“He’ll be healthy this year, I can assure you that. We’ve been grinding through offseason (and) training camp. And training camp is about getting these guys calloused up,” Jefferson said. “He’s not getting hurt this year. We’re going in with that mindset that he’s not getting hurt. He’ll play a full season this year.”

After the Panthers acquired Chark, head coach Frank Reich mentioned Chark’s ability to create “chunk” plays, pointing to his career average of 14.4 yards per catch. That mark would put Chark among the league’s top 10 active receivers in that category if he had enough catches to qualify.

Chark's season-by-season totals

Regardless, coaches have been pleased with the chemistry Chark and Young have forged.

“He’s earned the trust of Bryce,” Jefferson said of Chark. “Any time Bryce sees him out there one-on-one, Bryce is gonna take a chance. He’s earned that right from Bryce.”

“It seems like they connect every practice,” Reich added. “You’ve got two really smart players. DJ’s a really smart player, very savvy and instinctive. And then he’s got speed to go with it. And I think Bryce (is) obviously same way. I think that’s looked good. We’re excited about that.”

Jackson, the former LSU corner, was equally excited to learn his former college teammate was joining him in Charlotte. Jackson said Chark is among the most fun people he’s played with, and the two have a running argument of who’s faster — and chattier.

“You watch his Mic’d Up? He never stops talking. DJ probably talks more than me, for real,” Jackson said. “He’s that fun guy, fun competitor. He’s a guy that you want to go against and you definitely want to beat and you definitely don’t want to lose against.”

“I do talk a lot,” Chark conceded. “But I don’t know if anybody talks more than Donte. Donte I think takes the cake.”

Jackson and the Panthers would be happy to deal with Chark’s trash talking for the next five months if it means he made it through the season unscathed. Chark would love that as well. But the 26-year-old has no qualms with how he prepares and plays entering his sixth season.

“I’m not slacking off at practice. I’m not slacking off in the game. I’m giving my all and I won those guys (in Detroit) over with work ethic. I’m gonna win my teammates here over with work ethic,” he said. “Also be a great guy, a great teammate. But the work comes first.”

[CLG]

“He’s earned the trust of Bryce,” Jefferson said of Chark. “Any time Bryce sees him out there one-on-one, Bryce is gonna take a chance. He’s earned that right from Bryce.”
 

^^this! I’ve brought this up several times, our offense has been missing a QB that consistently takes a calculated risk and gives the receiver a 50/50 ball. That’s how magic happens and we have had no magic lol. We are going to see some different types of plays made, finally…

[Jaxel]

Man if this guy hits it would be huge.

[top dawg]

55 minutes ago, Jaxel said:

Man if this guy hits it would be huge.

The only thing that might stop him is injury. Stay away from that, and he's golden. The talent was never the question, at least in my mind. The relatively low financial investment in him is well worth the risk, because it provides a great value for a season, and gives us a bird's-eye view of his potential impact upon the NFL. As his incumbent team, we should have a leg up if everything goes well.

Edited August 3, 2023 by top dawg

[joemac]

1 hour ago, Jaxel said:

Man if this guy hits it would be huge.

Hes got the potential to be a very big signing for us.  If he can stay healthy I think he can replace the 1000 yards and 4 TDs that Moore gave us every year.  I think he can potentially be a 1200-1300 yard 10 TD guy.  Hes always produced when in the game.  I mean, if you can go over 1000 yards on that Jacksonville team with Minshew and Foles throwing the ball, it could be something special with Bryce Young. 

[Panthercougar68]

9 minutes ago, top dawg said:

The only thing that might stop him is injury. Stay away from that, and he's golden. The talent was never the question, at least in my mind. The relatively low financial investment in him is well worth the risk, because it provides a great value for a season, and gives us a bird's-eye view of his potential impact upon the NFL. As his incumbent team, we should have a leg up if everything goes well.

I hope what ever ailed him is fixed for sure because he’s a threat catching the ball. I went through his game logs and after his 2021 injury I don’t think he was fully healed when he started out 2022 but once he was back with the 2nd half of the season in Detroit he really picked up where he left off.

Edited August 3, 2023 by Panthercougar68

[SmittysLawnGuy]

I think Chark is about to become a bonafide NFL star!

[ladypanther]

@NAS...this does not work with dark them...will work if  posted  as "plain text."

Edited August 3, 2023 by ladypanther

[NAS]

53 minutes ago, ladypanther said:

@NAS...this does not work with dark them...will work if  posted  as "plain text."

Oops sorry 

[CamWhoaaCam]

1 hour ago, SmittysLawnGuy said:

I think Chark is about to become a bonafide NFL star!

I think you are about to be right!

[top dawg]

5 hours ago, ladypanther said:

@NAS...this does not work with dark them...will work if  posted  as "plain text."

I always wondered why some posts showed up like that. Thanks.

[cardiackat88.]

Whenever I hear his name, all I can think about is....

 

DJ Chark do doo duh doo dah doo, DJ Chark do doo duh doo dah doo, DJ Chark do doo duh doo dah doo, DJ Chark.

[Pantherxtreme]

I remember in 2019 when we played Jacksonville and McCaffrey went crazy on the Jaguars, we still were in jeopardy of losing that game to the Gardner Minshew Jaguars because seemingly no one could keep up with Chark he had 2 or 3 Tds on us that day.

We pulled it out in the end because our back up running back broke off a 64 yard run when McCaffrey went out late in the game.

But from that time I've always followed Charks career being a big Fantasy guy. Excited to see what he can do this year if healthy. 

[Davidson Deac II]

I do remember Chark lighting us up in either his first or second year.  Of course, our defense was the worst in Panthers history that year, but even so, I hope he has a lot of games like that for us.