Jacksonville Jaguars receiver D.J. Chark Jr. was undoubtedly the team’s most improved player in 2019. After a 2018 rookie season in which he struggled and only caught 14 passes, he bounced back last year by leading the receiving corps with 73 catches for 1,008 yards and eight touchdowns. He also went to the Pro Bowl alongside defensive linemen Calais Campbell and Josh Allen.
Despite that success, coordinator Jay Gruden believes Chark is just scratching the surface and could be utilized in the slot just as well as on the outside.
“He’s got the skill set with the size, speed and ability to come in and out of cuts,” Gruden said. “I think we can do a little bit more with him. I’d like to get him inside and do some more things with him in the slot. But he’s an excellent specimen. And the thing that I have come to know about DJ in the limited time I got to meet him was that he’s hungry.”
This is something Chark won’t have a problem with as it’s another creative way to free the young receiver up. While Dede Westbrook is the player who is expected to see the most snaps in the slot, switching things up occasionally won’t hurt, especially when considering Chark’s size (6-foot-4, 194-pounds).
As we previously pointed out last week, the slot is a spot that has seen a lot of production in Gruden’s offenses in the past. His last primary slot receiver, Jamison Crowder, accumulated 221 catches for 2,628 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns throughout the last four seasons while mostly playing at the position.
Playing Chark in the slot is also something that, of course, could help quarterback Gardner Minshew II, too. With Chark seeing a total of 118 targets last year (the most on the team) it won’t matter where he plays as Minshew clearly likes going to him.
