The Lions took care of a position of need early on in free agency by signing receiver DJ Chark to a one-year deal worth up to $12 million.
Chark has gone over 1,000 yards in a season once in his career. But he played only four games for Jacksonville last year, fracturing his ankle in the team’s loss to the Bengals.
In a recent interview with SiriusXM NFL Radio, Lions G.M. Brad Holmes said Clark was just what the Lions were looking for at the position.
“There are certain favorites that just emerge through that process and DJ was one of them,” Holmes said. “It’s just that he just fit what we’re about. We have a lot of collaboration sessions, just coaching and personnel and getting on the same page and just to hear [receivers coach Antwaan] Randle El and [offensive coordinator] Ben Johnson just talk about what they’re looking for at the receiver position. And everybody talks about the X receiver position, but Ben is a pretty creative guy — he’s got no problem moving guys around. But DJ fit a lot of those qualities about having speed, explosiveness, length. And he’s a football player.”
Chark caught seven passes for 154 yards with two TDs in his limited work last season. A second-round pick in the 2018 draft, Chark has 147 career receptions for 2,042 yards with 15 touchdowns.