Should the Saints try to land DJ Chark?

Should the Louisiana native return home and play for the Saints?

The Jacksonville Jaguars are still trying to re-sign wide receiver DJ Chark, and this maybe one of the hardest decisions that the Jaguars will face this offseason. I personally think that there are some other teams that maybe on his radar such as the Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets, Dallas Cowboys, Las Vegas Raiders, and the New Orleans Saints. DJ Chark is not considered to many as a top tier receiver due to the fact that has been hurt a lot in the past couple seasons. In 2019, Chark had his best season as a pro hauling in 73 receptions, for 1,008 yards and 8 touchdowns, and was even named to a Pro Bowl, which was pretty good for a team that only won 6 games and had subpar quarterback play.

The injury bug has not really allowed for Chark to be on the field fully the past couple of seasons. In 2018, Chark suffered a leg quad injury that sideline him for 5 games and the injuries have not stopped there. Since then, he has had a Chest Rib Sprain/ Pull, Leg Shin Pull, and Hand Finger Fracture. DJ Chark is coming off a bit of let down in 2020, where he missed 3 games with a back, rib, chest and shin injury, but was still able to play in 13 games.

Quarterback play was also a major problem in Jacksonville. He played with 5 different QB’s such as Gardner Minshew, Jake Luton, Mike Glennon, Nick Foles and Trevor Lawrence, who have all been very subpar. The quarterback play between Glennon, Minshew, and Luton have all been so bad, that the Jaguars ranked 21st in passing yards, 19th in touchdowns, 28th in completion rate and 28th in yards per attempt. To be fair, Chark has never had stability when it came to quarterback play so we have never been able to see how good he can really be. The Jaguars signed former Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles, who many thought could be the answer in 2019, but he went down with a season-ending injury after breaking his left Clavicle. The best season of Chark’s career came when Gardner Minshew was his QB1 after Foles went down with his injury. Gardner Minshew (Minshew Mania) threw for 3,200 yards, 21 touchdowns, 6 interceptions, and even had a completion percentage of (60.6).

The reasons why I think the Saints should try to land DJ Chark is because for one, he is from Louisiana and life does not get any better than playing in your home state. He would have stability no matter who the starting quarterback is, and he would also take some pressure off of Michael Thomas. When healthy, Chark is a top 20 wide receiver and can take the top off opposing defenses with his speed and agility. The Saints should not try to drop the bag on him due to the fact that he cannot stay healthy, but if he was to come in and ball then they may keep him for years to come.

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