Palm Beach, Fla. — The Detroit Lions haven’t added too many outside pieces in free agency, but the signing of DJ Chark filled one of the roster’s glaring holes — a big-bodied, outside receiver capable of consistency winning his individual matchups.
With a return to full strength after breaking his ankle last season, Chark obviously checks all the physical traits the Lions desired in an “X” receiver. And the way he was presented by general manager Brad Holmes the day he signed, Chark is also viewed as a cultural fit.
The lingering question is why the two sides didn’t seek a longer-term arrangement, instead of agreeing to a one-year deal.
“We’re very well aware that,” Holmes said Tuesday at the NFL’s Annual League Meeting. “Look, end of the year, hopefully we’re in a position where we’re looking to sign DJ back long-term or we have to franchise him or whatever it is. There’s a lot of different scenarios that you can go down. But end of the day, we just felt really, really good with it.
“There’re a lot of different reasons to go to the one-year deal, but it’s not for anything like a lack of belief,” Holmes said. “It was just, hey, look, I think it was the best fit for both parties.”
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In 2019, his second season, the 6-foot-4 Chark caught 73 passes for 1,008 yards and eight touchdowns. He’s struggled to follow that up, finishing with 53 receptions for 706 yards in 2020, prior to suffering the ankle injury early last season.
The Chark deal came on the heels of a wild signing period for wide receivers, headlined by the four-year, $72 million pact signed by Christian Kirk with Chark’s former team, the Jacksonville Jaguars.
If Chark is able to return to form, the Lions must consider the potential cost of the franchise tag. In 2022, the one-year tender for a wide receiver was $18.4 million. It’s only expected to increase next year.
Holmes was asked if he thought the sharply rising cost of adding a receiver in free agency would push more teams into looking for solutions in the draft, but the general manager cautioned against that line of thinking.
“Yeah, but then you gotta look at, do you want to put that all on a rookie receiver?” Holmes responded. “Say, OK, we got priced out of free agency, so we’ll just draft one. Well, can he (do all that stuff)? That’s always the give and take you have to take into consideration when it comes to those decisions.”
A happy return
Another outside player signed by the Lions was linebacker Jarrad Davis, who returns to Detroit after a one-year stint with the New York Jets.
Holmes acknowledged he had hoped to retain Davis, Detroit’s first-round pick in 2017, but couldn’t match what the Jets were willing to pay last offseason. The GM also explained how the reunion came together.
“That kinda started with me, him and (coach) Dan (Campbell) all had a conversation before free agency had really kicked off,” Holmes said. “We had a lot of transparent discussions. He really liked what we were doing, and it was cool to hear him talk about – even when he was in New York – kinda just keeping up with some of the guys that was with us. …He mentioned that he saw my draft video of me being explosive (after the Penei Sewell pick) and all that stuff. He just said it felt like home.
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“…That’s just us being consistent with who we are,” Holmes said. “But it was cool to hear Jarrad say that. He had some adversity that he battled last year, I think that’s well-known, but everybody deserves second chances. We did see some things on tape that encouraged to think he’d be a good fit here.”
A case for Hamilton
Historically, three positions dominate the earliest selections of the NFL draft: Quarterback, offensive tackle and edge rusher. Holmes explained why that approach has long been the preferred strategy for NFL teams.
“Those are premium positions,” Holmes said. “They can really lay the foundation of your team’s success. I truly believe that. There’re other game-changers at other positions that you can find outside of those positions, but obviously when you want to have a quarterback that can lead your football team, you really have that guy that can protect your quarterback, and then, at the end of they day, you want that guy that can get after your quarterback, too.
“That’s why I think they’re all what you call premium positions, but I do think there are other positions that you can find some game-changers.”
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Although Holmes didn’t mention anyone by name, the obvious prospect who could enter the discussion with Detroit holding the No. 2 pick is Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton. It’s been more than 30 years since a safety has been selected that early in the draft, but Holmes said he’ll place an emphasis on landing a difference-maker more than strictly focusing on traditional positional value.
“I’ve always said we want a game-changer at that pick,” Holmes said. “So whatever position that is, we’re comfortable at multiple positions. If the draft was today, we could turn in that card and sleep good at night.”
At 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, Hamilton possesses rare size for the position, while also producing eight interceptions in three seasons. That sure sounds like a game-changer.
Still shopping
The Lions hosted Arden Key on a visit last week and Holmes noted adding the free agent defensive lineman is still on the table.
“We’ll just see where it goes,” Holmes said. “We haven’t totally closed the door on that. I’ll say, just with free agency in general, we’re not done. You always want to get it all done that first week, the big headlines, but there’s still some guys out there that we can add still that can help our football team.”
A third-round pick out of LSU in 2018, Key is coming off his best season as a member of the San Francisco 49ers. A rotational lineman who rushes from both inside and outside alignments, he tallied 6.5 sacks and 39 total quarterback pressures in 2021.
jdrogers@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @Justin_Rogers