Particularly wide receiver-needy team could price Lions out on DJ Chark

As it seems DJ Chark will leave the Detroit Lions in free agency, a particularly wide receiver-needy team could price them out of keeping him anyway.

A wide receiver free agent market that’s bereft of big names means it’s a good time for some to be available. Among those is DJ Chark, who is very likely to be a former Detroit Lion by this time next week.

How far the Lions will go to keep Chark is to be determined, but we’ll find out soon. That he hasn’t been re-signed is not a huge thing, but Chark would do well to hit the market, see what’s out there, and he ultimately should land more than the “prove-it” deal he got from the Lions last offseason.

Chark is easy to name as a potential fit for plenty of teams who need help at wide receiver.

A particularly wide receiver-needy team could pony up for DJ Chark

Jeff Kerr of CBS Sports has matched a free agent with each AFC team. A team who has never quite nailed the wide receiver position lately, via any avenue, was matched with Chark.

"The Patriots could certainly use an upgrade at wide receiver, whether Jakobi Meyers and Nelson Agholor were free agents or not. While New England will be searching the trade market for a premier pass catcher, the Patriots should take a flier on Chark in free agency.The deep ball threat New England needs, Chark had 30 catches for 502 yards and three touchdowns last season (averaging 16.7 yards per catch). New England owes it to Mac Jones to get him all the pass catchers he needs, especially since he has a play caller in Bill O’Brien that actually can get the best out of him. Jones just needs the personnel to succeed now."

If the Patriots want to see what Mac Jones is fully capable of, they’ll need better weapons around him along with the natural upgrade from Matt Patricia to Bill O’Brien as the offensive play caller. Chark could be a nice fit, if Jones is able to be a good downfield passer. But the same could’ve been said for Jared Goff last season, and late in the season it worked out.

Wide receiver has been a blind spot for the Patriots for a long time. They might be driven to be over-aggressive on the free agent market to try to fix it. The Lions won’t overpay to keep Chark, but a wide receiver-needy suitor like New England may offer a deal he shouldn’t refuse and make it especially easy to let him go.