NFL Trade Rumors: Los Angeles Chargers Eyeing Free Agent Wide Receiver DJ Chark

The Los Angeles Chargers are finally doing something about their barren wide receiver room. According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Chargers hosted former Jacksonville Jaguar, Detroit Lion, and Carolina Panther DJ Chark for a free-agent visit yesterday.

Former #Panthers WR DJ Chark, one of the top FA receivers available, spent yesterday in the #Chargers building on a visit, source said. LAC may draft a WR high, but they still need starters. Chark is an option.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 19, 2024

In recent years, Chark has bounced around the league as a speedy deep threat and complementary receiver. He has impressive length and size (6'3", 200), and he still sports exceptional speed and explosiveness (4.34 40-yard dash, 40.0 vertical jump). He may never again flirt with the production that made him a Pro Bowler in 2019 (1008 receiving yards, eight touchdowns), but he can be an efficient, valuable player in the right offense.

Unfortunately, the Chargers need a lot more than a role-player. They traded six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Keenan Allen to the Chicago Bears and released 2017 NFL Draft seventh-overall pick Mike Williams earlier this offseason. The pair had been the unquestioned WR1 and WR2 on the roster for years, dating back to before the arrival of quarterback Justin Herbert in 2020. Over the past four seasons, Allen and Williams have accounted for a combined 7171 receiving yards.

Adding Chark would be a solid first move for the Chargers, but they'll need to do more to prevent their passing attack from drastically regressing. Hopefully, they can land a premier pass catcher in next week's NFL Draft with the sixth-overall pick.