Bears meeting with one-year wonder Pro Bowler is really strange

The fact that the Chicago Bears met with this former Pro Bowler is pretty weird given the circumstances.

Carolina Panthers wide receiver DJ Chark Jr. (17) during pregame warm ups against the Dallas Cowboys at Bank of America Stadium. | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

The Chicago Bears' receiving corps is already pretty loaded as it is. They have D.J. Moore and Rome Odunze as their top two wide receivers, they signed Olamide Zaccheaus in free agency and they also selected Luther Burden III in the NFL draft.

The Bears' receiver room is so crowded, in fact, that they will have some pretty tough roster decisions to make when it comes time to trim things down to 53 players, which is why Zaccheaus himself could actually represent a potential trade candidate even though he just signed.

Why, then, did Chicago feel the need to meet with former Pro Bowl pass-catcher DJ Chark earlier this week?

Chark spent the 2024 campaign with the Los Angeles Chargers and barely made an impact, logging four catches for 31 yards and a touchdown. There was a time when Chark looked to be an ascending talent at the position, as he hauled in 73 receptions for 1,008 yards and eight scores with the Jacksonville Jaguars back in 2019.

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver DJ Chark Jr. (17) looks on prior to the game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Indianapolis Colts at TIAA Bank Field. | Douglas DeFelice-Imagn Images

Thanks to injuries and a major dropoff in production overall, Chark has not approached those numbers since, finishing with over 500 yards just three times over the last five seasons.

There are definitely teams that make sense for Chark, who is still just 28 years old and may be able to resurrect his career somewhere. But the Bears aren't one of them.

Chicago is cultivating Odunze, and just about everyone expects Burden to be a Day 1 burner for Caleb Williams and the offense. We already know what Moore can do, and Zaccheaus was actually really good in Washington last year. Throw in names like Tyler Scott and Devin Duvernay, and it's hard to see where Chark fits into the equation.

I guess it doesn't hurt to not leave any stone unturned, but again, the Bears' depth chart is pretty crammed as it is. Unless Chicago is planning on making a trade somewhere (Zaccheaus?), bringing Chark onto the squad doesn't really add up.

Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver DJ Chark Jr. (9) during the game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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