CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- While the Carolina Panthers were evaluating quarterback Will Levis at Kentucky pro day on Friday, they also were adding depth at wide receiver to support whomever they select with the top pick of the draft.
The Panthers agreed to a deal with former Detroit Lions wideout DJ Chark, the team announced, with sources telling ESPN it's a one-year contract. An outside target, Chark will pair with veteran free agent signing Adam Thielen, who recently got a three-year deal.
Chark and Thielen are part of an effort to replace 2018 first-round pick DJ Moore, who was part of a deal with the Chicago Bears to move from ninth to first in the draft.
Chark took to Twitter on Friday afternoon, calling the opportunity to join the Panthers "second to none!"
General manager Scott Fitterer and coach Frank Reich are trying to strengthen the skill group that will be around their top pick. They spent Wednesday and Thursday at the pro days of Ohio State's C.J. Stroud and Alabama's Bryce Young, the two players they moved up in the draft to have a shot at.
They also are looking at Levis and Florida's Anthony Richardson, who will have his pro day Thursday.
Adding Chark and Thielen, along with running back Miles Sanders and tight end Hayden Hurst, will take some of the pressure off the rookie quarterback to carry the offense immediately.
Chark, who signed in Detroit as an unrestricted free agent ahead of the 2022 season on a one-year "prove-it" contract, continued to be a vertical threat in the passing game, averaging 16.7 yards per catch in 11 games.
The speedy receiver caught 30 passes for 502 yards and three touchdowns for the Lions last season. At 6-foot-4, Chark, who turns 27 in September, has the ability to win outside matchups as a boundary target.
The 2018 second-round pick spent his first four NFL seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars, and he was a Pro Bowl selection in 2019. Overall, he has 177 receptions for 2,544 yards -- an average of 14.4 yards per catch -- and 18 touchdowns.
The Panthers agreed to a deal with former Detroit Lions wideout DJ Chark, the team announced, with sources telling ESPN it's a one-year contract. An outside target, Chark will pair with veteran free agent signing Adam Thielen, who recently got a three-year deal.
Chark and Thielen are part of an effort to replace 2018 first-round pick DJ Moore, who was part of a deal with the Chicago Bears to move from ninth to first in the draft.
Chark took to Twitter on Friday afternoon, calling the opportunity to join the Panthers "second to none!"
General manager Scott Fitterer and coach Frank Reich are trying to strengthen the skill group that will be around their top pick. They spent Wednesday and Thursday at the pro days of Ohio State's C.J. Stroud and Alabama's Bryce Young, the two players they moved up in the draft to have a shot at.
They also are looking at Levis and Florida's Anthony Richardson, who will have his pro day Thursday.
Adding Chark and Thielen, along with running back Miles Sanders and tight end Hayden Hurst, will take some of the pressure off the rookie quarterback to carry the offense immediately.
Chark, who signed in Detroit as an unrestricted free agent ahead of the 2022 season on a one-year "prove-it" contract, continued to be a vertical threat in the passing game, averaging 16.7 yards per catch in 11 games.
The speedy receiver caught 30 passes for 502 yards and three touchdowns for the Lions last season. At 6-foot-4, Chark, who turns 27 in September, has the ability to win outside matchups as a boundary target.
The 2018 second-round pick spent his first four NFL seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars, and he was a Pro Bowl selection in 2019. Overall, he has 177 receptions for 2,544 yards -- an average of 14.4 yards per catch -- and 18 touchdowns.
Broncos HC Sean Payton "not trading" Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton: "We’re in the business of gathering talent"
The Denver Broncos are low on draft capital but they won't be trading either of their starting outside receivers to accumulate picks, coach Sean Payton said Sunday from the annual league meeting in Phoenix.
Amid trade rumors involving Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton, Payton acknowledged to NFL Network that the Broncos have received trade interest in both players but said Denver has no plans to trade either player.
"I see and read just like everyone else does. Then occasionally, when someone really crowds the plate, I throw a fastball right at their chin, and they back up, and they're like, 'All right.' And so, I haven't thrown any fastballs lately, but we're not trading those two players," Payton said.
When people call and the phone rings like it does this time of year, [general manager] George Paton's job is to pick it up and say, 'Hey. Tell you what, we're not.' And so, we've received calls, you bet," he added. "Those are two good football players. But we're in the business of gathering talent right now. Why do people call? Because they know we're void of draft picks and that we might, because there was some discussions a year ago, I think, regarding Courtland. But we like the current group that we're working with."
League sources, including some with teams that have been in contact with the Broncos, have told ESPN's Jeff Legwold that the Broncos have been resolute about getting a first- or second-round pick in any deal that involved Jeudy. The Broncos must decide by May 1 -- two days after the draft concludes -- if they are going to pick up Jeudy's fifth-year option.
Because of the trades to acquire quarterback Russell Wilson from the Seattle Seahawks last year and Payton from the New Orleans Saints this year, the Broncos won't have a selection until the third round -- picks Nos. 67 and 68. They have five selections in the 2023 draft.
Jeudy, who will turn 24 on April 24, led the team in catches (67), receiving yards (972) and touchdowns (6) last season and was the only player on the league's lowest scoring offense to have more than two touchdown receptions.
Sutton, 27, was second on the Broncos with 64 catches and 829 yards last season. He had two touchdown receptions.
Amid trade rumors involving Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton, Payton acknowledged to NFL Network that the Broncos have received trade interest in both players but said Denver has no plans to trade either player.
"I see and read just like everyone else does. Then occasionally, when someone really crowds the plate, I throw a fastball right at their chin, and they back up, and they're like, 'All right.' And so, I haven't thrown any fastballs lately, but we're not trading those two players," Payton said.
When people call and the phone rings like it does this time of year, [general manager] George Paton's job is to pick it up and say, 'Hey. Tell you what, we're not.' And so, we've received calls, you bet," he added. "Those are two good football players. But we're in the business of gathering talent right now. Why do people call? Because they know we're void of draft picks and that we might, because there was some discussions a year ago, I think, regarding Courtland. But we like the current group that we're working with."
League sources, including some with teams that have been in contact with the Broncos, have told ESPN's Jeff Legwold that the Broncos have been resolute about getting a first- or second-round pick in any deal that involved Jeudy. The Broncos must decide by May 1 -- two days after the draft concludes -- if they are going to pick up Jeudy's fifth-year option.
Because of the trades to acquire quarterback Russell Wilson from the Seattle Seahawks last year and Payton from the New Orleans Saints this year, the Broncos won't have a selection until the third round -- picks Nos. 67 and 68. They have five selections in the 2023 draft.
Jeudy, who will turn 24 on April 24, led the team in catches (67), receiving yards (972) and touchdowns (6) last season and was the only player on the league's lowest scoring offense to have more than two touchdown receptions.
Sutton, 27, was second on the Broncos with 64 catches and 829 yards last season. He had two touchdown receptions.
John Lynch makes it clear that Brock Purdy, Trey Lance and Sam Darnold will all compete for the 49ers' QB job but that Purdy if/when healthy is "the leader in the clubhouse" based on track record established in 2022
