Atlanta Falcons Sign Former Panthers, Jaguars Pro Bowl Receiver

The Atlanta Falcons are in training camp this week, and wide receiver Darnell Mooney left practice with a shoulder injury after attempting to make a diving catch on Thursday.

While there has been no update on his status, the Falcons are signing former Pro Bowl wide receiver DJ Chark to a one-year deal, according to Ian Rapoport.

"Veteran FA WR DJ Chark, who spent last year with the Chargers, is signing with the Falcons, per me and Mike Garafolo. He gets a 1-year deal," Rapoport reported. The former Jaguars, Panthers, and Chargers veteran lands in ATL after several visits"

Veteran FA WR DJ Chark, who spent last year with the #Chargers, is signing with the #Falcons, per me and @MikeGarafolo. He gets a 1-year deal.

The former #Jaguars, #Panthers and #Chargers veteran lands in ATL after several visits. pic.twitter.com/wGKFmJSbGW
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 25, 2025

The move has not been announced by the Falcons, but they did have a roster spot open after cutting cornerback Kevin King on Thursday. The former Packers second-round pick played in 15 games for the Falcons in 2024.

Chark was originally selected in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars as the No. 61 overall pick. He played in 11 games as a rookie and had 14 catches for 174 yards.

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Similar to Mooney, Chark had a breakout year in his second season in the NFL, hauling in 73 passes for 1,008 yards and eight touchdowns in 2019. He was named to the Pro Bowl that same season.

Mooney also broke 1,000 yards in his second season but fell off the next two years before landing in Atlanta.

Chark was considered an up-and-coming star in the league after a brilliant sophomore campaign, but his production waned to 53 catches, 706 yards, and five touchdowns the following season.

The Jaguars were hoping his fortunes would turn around in 2021 with the arrival of No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence, but he suffered a season-ending injury in Week 4 and had just seven catches for 154 yards and two touchdowns.

He's spent the last three seasons with three different teams, including the Detroit Lions (2022), Carolina Panthers (2023), and the LA Chargers (2024). He had solid, if unspectacular, seasons in Detroit and Carolina, breaking 500 yards in each location. He played in just seven games for the Chargers last year, catching four passes for 31 yards.

Chark turns 29 in September, so there's still plenty left in the tank if he's healthy and playing at 100%. Whether or not Mooney is fully healthy doesn't change the fact that the Falcons needed to add more depth to the wide receiver room.

Kyle Pitts lined up at slot receiver on Thursday and had a terrific day, but there's not much proven depth behind Drake London, Darnell Mooney, and Ray-Ray McCloud.

The Falcons are back in action Saturday morning at 9:30 a.m. at IBM Performance Field in Flowery Branch, Ga., and the receiver room just got a little more intriguing for the next week of camp.