4 Carolina Panthers players whose fate is sealed after Dave Canales hire
By Dean Jones
D.J. Chark - Carolina Panthers WR
Another who came into the Carolina Panthers with a big reputation, D.J. Chark didn't reach his billing. It took time to convince the speedy wide receiver to join Frank Reich's ambitious promise. In hindsight, it's a choice he'd like to have back.
The Panthers didn't do enough to maximize Chark's skill set. He specializes in going downfield and making big plays. Frank Reich's bland scheme and Bryce Young's inaccuracy on deep balls held him back to a certain extent.
However, the former second-round pick out of LSU is not without blame. Chark failed to create the separation needed consistently. There were struggles with ball security - especially when Young went in his direction on key downs. This became a constant source of frustration and left the wideout with a catch success percentage of 53.0 as a result of his efforts.
While one couldn't completely rule out the possibility of Chark getting a one-year extension to see what he might be capable of under Dave Canales, the Panthers should be thinking bigger. This is a deep draft class for wide receivers. There should also be some intriguing options to target in free agency providing Brandt Tilis can move enough money around.
This could leave Chark surplus to Canales' requirements when it's all said and done. But another bad contract means he'll still be counting more than $3 million against Carolina's salary cap in 2024 whether he's around or not.