Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver DJ Chark has been ruled out for his team’s Week 1 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders due to a hip injury, via Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk.
Chark has been kept out of practice all week.
The Chargers signed Chark to a one-year deal in free agency. The veteran is expected to play a rather significant role in Los Angeles’ aerial attack considering the team subtracted both Keenan Allen and Mike Williams earlier in the offseason.
Chark spent the 2023 campaign with the Carolina Panthers, playing in 15 games and catching 35 passes for 525 yards and five touchdowns.
The 27-year-old, who played his collegiate football at LSU, was originally selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft.
He spent the first four years of his career with the Jaguars, and early on, it looked like Chark was prepared to establish himself as one of the best wide outs in football.
In his second season, Chark hauled in 73 receptions for 1,008 yards and eight scores en route to a Pro Bowl appearance.
However, since then, due to injuries and regression in general, Chark has not come close to matching that production, topping out at 706 yards in 2019.
Chark also spent one year with the Detroit Lions in 2022.
Can the Los Angeles Chargers overcome their lack of weapons?
Many have the Chargers pegged as dark-horse contenders in the AFC this year thanks to the arrival of head coach Jim Harbaugh, but people seem to be ignoring the rather dismal offseason LA had.
Yes, the Chargers added one heck of a coach, but they lost four key offensive weapons in Allen, Williams, running back Austin Ekeler and tight end Gerald Everett.
Los Angeles also didn’t do much to improve its defense, which ranked near the bottom of the league in 2023.
The Chargers do benefit from playing in a weak division. Outside of the Kansas City Chiefs, the AFC West squads are not formidable at all.
Still, it seems hard to imagine Los Angeles making a deep playoff run with such limited offensive artillery. Even quarterback Justin Herbert is dealing with plantar fasciitis, which could severely inhibit his effectiveness.
We’ll get a taste of the Los Angeles Chargers’ offense against the Raiders on Sunday.
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