Ex‑LSU Receiver DJ Chark Bounced by the Falcons After Just Two Preseason Games

DJ Chark’s NFL journey just took another tough turn, and this one stings a little more than most. The former LSU star wide receiver, once hailed as one of the league’s most explosive deep threats, has officially been released by the Atlanta Falcons after just two preseason games. It wasn’t a long stint, and it sure wasn’t a headline-grabbing one either. But it was a shot—a chance to reclaim relevance in a league that rarely waits for anyone. And now, just as quickly as it came, that window has closed.

This was supposed to be one of those redemption arcs. Chark showed up in Atlanta late in the summer, fresh off a season with the Chargers that didn’t exactly move the needle. Injuries had derailed him in Los Angeles, and he came into 2025 with his name barely registering in fantasy drafts or preseason predictions. But there was still hope. He still had that rare blend of speed and size. He still had that Pro Bowl season from 2019 on his résumé, the one where he lit up defenses in Jacksonville and looked like a future star. There was belief—maybe not loud belief, but belief—that with the right fit, the right quarterback, the right coaching staff, he could find it again.

That belief didn’t last long. Chark joined the Falcons midway through camp, a late signing prompted more by injuries to other players than by excitement over his potential. Atlanta was already stacked with young receivers hungry for reps, and Chark’s presence felt more like a depth insurance policy than anything resembling a featured weapon. He got on the field during the preseason, but it didn’t go well. Two games, three targets, one catch for 11 yards. That was it. No big plays. No moments of flash. Just a guy trying to hang on, and coming up short.

The Falcons made the decision quickly. Monday morning came, and Chark’s name was on the transaction wire. Released. No press conference. No dramatic send-off. Just another veteran wideout who didn’t do enough to stick. For the Falcons, it was a cold but calculated move. Their younger guys were showing more upside. The team wanted to make space for others—bringing in a backup quarterback, adding depth to the edge rushers—and Chark didn’t factor into the long-term vision. It was business, plain and simple.

For Chark, it’s another chapter in what’s become a frustrating career to track. Coming out of LSU, he was all upside. Tall, fast, athletic, raw but loaded with potential. Jacksonville drafted him in the second round, and after a quiet rookie year, he exploded in his second season. Over 1,000 yards, eight touchdowns, and the kind of performances that made defensive coordinators take notice. He made the Pro Bowl. He was the guy. Then, like it often happens in the NFL, things changed. The quarterback play in Jacksonville collapsed. Injuries piled up. The production dropped. He went from being the top option to being forgotten in a hurry.

Since leaving the Jaguars, he’s bounced around. One year with the Lions, flashes but nothing consistent. Then the Chargers, where he was supposed to stretch the field for Justin Herbert, but ended up buried on the depth chart and struggling to stay healthy. And now, this short, uneventful stint with Atlanta. He’s still only 28, but in football years, that age can feel ancient when you’re a receiver fighting to make a roster. Especially when your last few seasons have been marked more by absence than impact.

The NFL isn’t sentimental. It’s fast, it’s unforgiving, and it rarely gives you multiple chances to prove yourself. For a player like Chark, whose entire game is built on explosiveness and the ability to take the top off a defense, there’s not much room for “almost.” You either make the plays or you’re gone. Coaches want reliability. They want availability. They want to know that when they call your number, you’re going to deliver. And in Atlanta, Chark didn’t deliver. Whether it was rust, lack of chemistry, or just the fact that younger players were simply outperforming him, the decision to move on felt inevitable.

It’s a tough pill to swallow for anyone who remembers what Chark once was. At his peak, he was one of the league’s best young receivers. He could outrun corners, out-jump safeties, and make contested catches look routine. He had that blend of physical tools that coaches drool over. But potential only lasts so long in the pros. Once injuries start creeping in, and the tape starts to show more missed opportunities than game-breaking highlights, the leash gets short. Real short.

Now, Chark is at a crossroads. The release doesn’t mean his career is over—not yet. He’s still a known name. There are teams around the league dealing with injuries, looking for veterans who can step in and contribute quickly. And Chark has enough experience to be considered for one of those spots. But the margin for error is thin. If he gets another shot, it might be his last. He’ll have to prove, in practice and in real time, that he can still separate from defenders, still track the deep ball, still play fast and smart and tough. There’s no time for easing into it. No more grace periods. It’s now or never.

If you’re DJ Chark right now, the playbook is simple. Stay in shape. Stay ready. Field every call. And if a team does bring you in for a workout or a tryout, you have to be the best version of yourself. You have to remind them why you were once a Pro Bowler. Why you were once the guy. Because if you don’t, the NFL won’t wait. It’ll just keep moving, like it always does.

And for the Falcons, this is just another move in a long list of roster churn. They’re not thinking about Chark’s past. They’re thinking about their future. About who gives them the best chance to win games in 2025 and beyond. Right now, that means investing in the young talent that’s showing up in camp, making plays in preseason, grinding in meetings. It means giving those roster spots to guys who can also contribute on special teams, who bring versatility, energy, and upside. For Atlanta, this was a football decision, plain and simple.

But make no mistake, the story of DJ Chark isn’t fully written. It’s not the ending he wants, not by a long shot. There’s still a window, however small, for him to get back in. It might not be glamorous. It might mean joining a practice squad, or being signed midseason when someone else goes down. But for a guy who once made his name torching cornerbacks and leaving safeties in the dust, the hunger to get back has to still be there. If he wants it, and if he’s healthy, someone might bite. And if they do, he better be ready to go full throttle. Because in this league, the second act doesn’t wait.

That’s the reality for a former star trying to claw his way back in. The talent’s still in there somewhere. The question now is whether anyone still believes in it—and whether Chark still believes in himself enough to prove it one more time.