Carolina Panthers wide receiver D.J. Chark recently underwent ankle surgery, per head coach Frank Reich.
Chark, who signed a one-year deal with the Panthers last week, might not be ready for the start of OTAs. He will be looking to bounce back after being limited to 11 games with the Detroit Lions last season due to an ankle injury. The 26-year-old has mostly been a deep threat through five seasons in the league, but Reich said the Panthers want Chark to do more in their offense. “We want to develop him into a complete receiver, widen his rout tree. It’s not just going to be all the vertical stuff down the field." Chark figures to start with Terrace Marshall and Adam Thielen in three-wide sets for Carolina.
Chark caught 30 passes for 502 yards and 3 touchdowns on 52 targets for the Lions last season. His average depth of target was 15.2 yards, second-highest among all wideouts with at least 50 targets. He also had a 1.54 average in air yards per snap and yards per route run.
Source: Joe Person, The Athletic