Getty DJ Chark gestures during Lions training camp in 2022.
The Detroit Lions want to see more big plays on offense for the 2022 season, and if they’re able to accomplish that mission, it will be because of hard work.
During training camp, the team will get a chance to hone their skills, and that’s just what DJ Chark wants to see them do as they stay on the grind this week.
The latest Lions news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Lions newsletter here!
Chark spoke to the media on Thursday, July 28 about where he thinks the team is at. As he said, so far, he likes what he sees from the offense. That didn’t stop him from taking time to send a message, though.
“Keep stacking these days”
“We just have to keep stacking these days so when it’s time, we show up. That’s the only thing that really matters, showing up on Sunday. I feel like the work we’re putting in now is great, we have Hard Knocks out here, but as long as we’re working quietly, just putting in day after day, when it’s time to show people what we can do, we can take a lot of people by storm,” he said.
The Lions want to surprise come 2022, and Chark is right. Even with some of the hype they have received, the team can still sneak up on people if they get their work done quietly on the field and improve.
As one of the veteran players of the group, it’s on Chark to set the tone. So far, it sounds as if that is just what he is prepared to do.
Chark Focused on Improving His Own Game
The Lions want to get better on offense, and Chark is no different as a player. After losing much of the 2021 season to injury, the wideout has come in quietly and set the tone himself for camp.
As Chark explained, he isn’t around to talk, but rather go to work and get things done. That’s the mindset he is trying to bring to the team.
“I’m not really here to cause too big of waves, just do my part. I feel like it’s definitely bigger than me, bigger than myself,” Chark told the media. “I like the way these guys work, come to work every day, their professionalism that comes with it. I just find my way and do what I do best. Every day, try to be better than I was the day before.”
Hard work and improvement seems like a winning combination for Chark, and the Lions hope he can find a way to apply those lessons on the field to have a successful year.
How Chark Will Upgrade Lions Offense
Chark has proven before with his work in the league that he is a player capable of going up and getting the ball vertically, which is what the Lions have missed in a big way.
Chark could help open up Detroit’s offense in that he will give Jared Goff a vertical threat to throw the ball to deep down the field. In 2019, Chark was a Pro Bowler. If he has struggled with anything in his career, it’s been health. Last year, he was lost with an ankle injury which cost him the end of 2021.
This season, Chark gets a chance to prove that he can be an elite pass catcher again. If he is able to do that, there’s a great chance the Lions keep him around and reward him as they have done with wideout Josh Reynolds. With both Chark and Reynolds, the team has a pair of vertical options that will help them deliver upon some more big plays for the future.
Chark could become one of the better wideouts in the league in 2022, and if he does, folks will be shocked to learn what he is making. That could make him look like a serious value in the end.