What's going on with Los Angeles Chargers WR DJ Chark?

Chris Roling | Oct 31, 2024

Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

The injury outlook surrounding Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver DJ Chark continues to be one of the more confusing details around the team going into Week 9. 

Chark, signed this past offseason to help along Justin Herbert’s offense in a world without Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, went to injured reserve with a hip injury in September. 

And while the team recently opened Chark’s 21-day return window, he appeared to be battling a new injury on reports over the last two weeks. 

Now, roughly 16 days into that window, Chark was again limited during Wednesday’s practice before the team travels to play the Cleveland Browns. Technically, he could miss one more game before he starts to count against the active roster. 

According to Thuc Nhi Nguyen of the Los Angeles Times, Chark sounds like a guy ready to possibly get back on the field over the weekend. The team did upgrade him to a full participant on Thursday's injury report.

The Chargers could certainly use some help coming out of Ladd McConkey’s game that earned him a stunning comparison from head coach Jim Harbaugh. Chark was supposed to be the field-stretching element that spaces the offense and lets guys like McConkey excel. 

Technically, Chark could be that guy starting in Week 9. But it’s noteworthy that he’s so far into that 21-day window after the team opted to not even open said window three weeks ago during the bye week. New injury or not (and we may never get the official details), Chark has missed the first seven games of his Chargers tenure and he could enter the eighth on a pitch count, if he suits up at all.

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