DJ Chark faces key season for Jaguars' offense in 2019

The Jaguars are hoping wide receiver DJ Chark can recapture what he accomplished two seasons ago when he made a big enough impact to earn a Pro Bowl trip. 

While Chark is confident he can return to his level in 2019 when he caught 73 passes for 1,008 yards and eight touchdowns, Coach Urban Meyer considers it paramount for his offense to click.

''I'm counting on him to get back and give us a little bit of a vertical threat down the field,'' Meyer said.  

Chark, though, did not get a chance to play in the three preseason tune up games to help him get a rhythm going with starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence. 

He has been out since Aug. 6 because of a hairline fracture on the middle finger of his right hand.Chark's injury was severe enough that doctors had to operate to insert a plate into his finger.

Played small:Jaguars' Urban Meyer praises DJ Chark's turnaround after harsh critique of last season's effort

Backup plan:C.J. Beathard steps into Jaguars' backup quarterback role behind Trevor Lawrence

Bring on season:Jaguars kicker Josh Lambo never lost confidence during training camp and preseason game struggles

Trainers have gradually ramped up his work load, and he has not had any reported setbacks.

On Thursday, Chark expressed encouragement over his progress and declared that he expects to play in the Jaguars' Sept. 12 season opener against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium.

“Oh yes, for sure,'' Chark said. ''Yeah, I will be there. “It’s good. It’s getting better every day.” 

Ran routes against secondary last week

For the past 10 days, Chark has mostly been running on the side. But Wednesday, he ran routes against the defense for the first time since the injury.

This week, he will draw his most extensive workload to determine his status for the opener. 

''Running on the side is different from breaking the huddle, running against the DB, resisted running, things like that,'' Chark said. ''There’s still a way to go, but I have good faith in myself and my coaching staff to help me get there. We have like (seven) more days, so I’ll be good.”

In a contract year, it is pivotal for Chark not to take a step back as he did last season when he made 53 catches for 706 yards and five touchdowns after his big season in 2019. Often, Chark appeared visibly upset when a pass sailed too high, and a pass didn't come his way when he got opened.  

Meyer's harsh criticism

In June, Meyer reached into his bag of motivational tactics when he said he didn't like what he saw from Chark last season. 

''I just didn’t like his size. His strength, I just thought, was way below average, way below what we expect from our receivers, and he was told that,” Meyer said. “He’s a big guy that played little last year, and that can’t happen. Guys like [Saints wide receiver] Mike Thomas and [former NFL wideout] Louis Murphy are those big, strong, fast receivers, and he’s got to play big and strong.”

Chark took the criticism in stride. And before his injury occurred last month, it was a common sight to see Meyer working individually with Chark on getting out of press coverage

“That’s a big focus for him, as well as [Wide Receivers Coach] Coach Sanjay,'' Chark said. ''One of the things that they saw that they wanted me to get better at was releases and driving, playing fast, really. Those things help me play faster and when I play faster, I feel unstoppable. 

''When I’m not playing as fast, I feel like I’m not to my top ability. I’m not making the plays that I could be making, and I don’t like that myself. The main thing is playing with speed, vertical speed, getting down the field which I’m pretty good at. I just have to continue to be consistent.”

There's a chance Chark will draw less double coverage because veteran Marvin Jones Jr. will attract attention as a proven deep threat. Slot receiver Laviska Shenault probably made the most significant jump since last season because of his improved route running and ability to make more explosive plays. 

“Yeah, I think it’s really important to have that guy — particularly for us, in terms of our receiver room is a young room just guys that have been in the league for a couple years,'' offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell said about Jones' impact on Chark and the other receivers.

''To have that veteran to come in — one to kind of show them how he has lasted 10 years. For me it’s like another coach over there in the receiver room because he has been with me for two years and we have coached up a lot of these things.''

For the Jaguars' vertical passing game to have sustained success, they are going to need more than just Jones and Lawrence. They are going to need Chark to get separation and haul in catches for touchdowns.

However, it's likely the Jaguars need to see more from Chark before they offer an extension. 

''I don’t really see it as a make-or-break year,'' Chark said. ''I feel like I’m a talented player still getting better every year. Trevor [Lawrence] can really throw it so he’s going to make my job even easier than before. I have Marvin on one side, Laviska in the slot, make my job easier, make me want to compete, make me want to go harder than they are. I just like playing football and I have some cool teammates, so it’s all cool.”