DJ Chark practiced Wednesday with the Detroit Lions for the first time since injuring his ankle Sept. 25.
Chark, 26, caught a touchdown pass in Week 1 and collected seven receptions in the first three games before missing six games with an ankle injury. He landed on injured reserve on Oct. 22.
“We’re going to let him run around today, we’re going to start his clock,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said Wednesday. “Just let him do some individual work today and see how he feels.”
Chark, who broke his ankle and missed the final 13 games with the Jacksonville Jaguars last season, signed a one-year, $10 million deal for 2022. He can be activated in the next 21 days but doesn’t count toward the 53-man roster while he upramps from injured reserve.
The Lions also updated the status of rookie first-round pick Jameson Williams, who is on the comeback trail from a torn ACL and MCL at Alabama.
Campbell indicated Williams might be able to practice in a limited fashion as soon as next week, but the short week with a Thanksgiving Day game makes a post-Week 12 return more likely.
The Lions host the Buffalo Bills on Thanksgiving and have a Week 13 home game on Dec. 4 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
“I would say probably after Thanksgiving sometime, would be the best way (to put it),” Campbell said. “I think that’s tentatively what we’re looking at. I don’t know if that would be the Jacksonville week or the week after. It could be next week. We’re not doing a ton, but he’s close. It certainly won’t be this week. I don’t see him playing, there again, before Thanksgiving. But we’ll see where it goes. He’s progressing. There’s no setback.”
–Field Level Media