Veteran receiver DJ Chark has another new home.
The second-round pick in 2018, who spent four years with the Jaguars, has his third team in three seasons. Via Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, he has agreed to terms with the Chargers.
It’s a one-year deal, worth “up to” $5 million. Which means, as we’ve learned especially this year, that the only way to get there is to hit some incentives that, at times, can be hard to achieve.
In 2022, Chark played for the Lions. Last year, the Panthers.
He was a Pro Bowler in 2019, his second season. It was his only 1,000-yard campaign, at 1,008. Last year, he had 525 yards in 15 games with the Panthers.
A week ago, the Chargers had four receivers on the roster. They added three — Ladd McConkey in round two and Brenden Rice and Cornelius Johnson in round seven — in the draft.
In the aftermath of the 2024 draft, the Panthers have made some changes to their scouting department.
Per Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports, Carolina has parted ways with director of pro personnel Rob Hanrahan and assistant director of pro personnel Tyler Ramsey.
Hanrahan had been with Carolina since 2017, joining the team as a pro scout.
Ramsey joined the club in 2021 as a national scout, moving to assistant director of pro personnel in 2022.
The Panthers promoted Dan Morgan to General Manager earlier this offseason, putting him in a position now to make more changes to the club’s personnel department.
The Rams must love rookie defensive lineman Braden Fiske, because they paid the Panthers a fortune to move up in the second round and draft him.
To move up from No. 52 to No. 39 and draft Fiske, the Rams gave up the 155th overall pick in this year’s draft, as well as the Rams’ second-round pick in next year’s draft.
That’s a rare price to pay, for a move up of just 13 spots in the second round. In fact, according to Seth Walder of ESPN Analytics, the Rams overpaid by the most any team has overpaid to move up on Day Two of the draft in at least the last six years.
Ultimately, the Rams used two second-round picks and a fifth-round pick on Fiske. That’s a lot to spend.
For the Panthers, it’s a great deal that nets them a second-round pick next year in addition to Jonathon Brooks, the running back the Panthers drafted after making another trade that packaged the two picks they got from the Rams. The Panthers didn’t have a 2025 second-round pick, having shipped it to Chicago in last year’s Bryce Young trade, but now they have a second-round pick after making a good trade on Friday.
Day 3 of the 2024 NFL Draft is underway and the Panthers have selected an offensive player with pick No. 101.
Carolina has taken tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders out of Texas with the first pick of the fourth round.
Sanders was a two-time first-team All-Big 12 selection. He set the single-season program record for catches by a tight end with 54 in 2022, going for 613 yards with five touchdowns. In 2023, he caught 45 passes for 682 yards with two TDs.
The Panthers have now selected three offensive players to help surround quarterback Bryce Young with talent — Sanders, receiver Xavier Legette at No. 32, and running back Jonathon Brooks at No. 46.
The Panthers have been wheeling and dealing to start Day 2 of the draft.
After trading out of the No. 39 overall pick, Carolina acquired the No. 46 overall pick from Indianapolis to select running back Jonathon Brooks out of Texas.
Brooks, 20, was behind Bijan Robinson for two seasons before taking over as the lead back for Texas in 2023. He rushed for 1,139 yards with 10 touchdowns in 11 games but tore his ACL.
He said during the scouting combine that he should be ready for the start of training camp.
In all, Brooks rushed for 1,479 yards with 16 touchdowns. He caught 28 passes for 335 yards with two TDs.
Brooks is the first running back to be selected in the 2024 draft.
Carolina received No. 46 from Indianapolis in exchange for No. 52, No. 142 in the fifth round, and No. 155 in the fifth round.
