Chargers WR room set to get huge boost after promising DJ Chark Jr. update

When Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh was asked about D.J. Chark last week, he indicated that the wideout was "improving and getting close" to his season debut. The team opted not to open his 21-day practice window last week. Chark has been out since the start of the season when he was placed on IR in a procedural move leading up to the Raiders game in Week 1.

While being active against Arizona on Monday is not a certainty, it appears that Harbaugh has changed his tone on a potential return to practice. When asked by The Athletic's Daniel Popper on if he expects to activated Chark's 21-day practice window, Harbaugh was rather straightforward:

"Yeah. We expect to open it today," Harbaugh said.

Linebacker Nick Niemann had his practice window officially opened last week while on IR and managed to return for Sunday's game vs. Denver. Assuming all goes well for Chark in practice this week, he could potentially return at a similar pace.

DJ Chark Jr. returning would provide a big boost to the Chargers' WR room

While the Chargers got enough production out of their receiving group to eke out a win over Denver's defense, it still could've been a better day for the receivers. Chark provides a decent amount of 4.3 speed that the offense could certainly use.

Last season with Carolina, Chark posted 10 catches on 17 contested targets. It was the highest mark of his career at nearly 58.8%. That figure was good enough for seventh in the NFL amongst 95 qualified wide receivers last year.

The Chargers currently lack a bonafide X receiver. Most of Ladd McConkey's efficient production has come from the slot. He's 1 for 5 (20%) on contested catches this season while Johnston is 2 for 4. If he is healthy enough, Chark could be QB Justin Herbert's best chance to have a true boundary 50-50 ball WR this year.

The roster shuffling of how the Chargers decide to bring back Chark will be interesting. The team has six wide receivers on their 53-man roster between Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnston, Josh Palmer, Derius Davis, Simi Fehoko, and Brenden Rice. On paper, Rice would seem to be the more obvious cut and stash on the practice squad as he has only been active for two games in a minimal special teams role. The team also could opt to carry seven, as they did when they created the initial roster.

However, both McConkey and Johnston nursed injuries during the Denver game. Per Daniel Popper, Johnston was included in a group of Chargers not practicing on Wednesday. Due to the Cardinals game taking place on Monday, an official injury report from the team is unlikely to come until Thursday.

Hopefully, Chark is available when the Chargers kickoff against the Arizona Cardinals on Monday Night Football. He could add a much-needed dimension to the wide receiver room that the team doesn't currently have.