Panthers' D.J. Chark dealing with hamstring issue as injuries continue to mount for Bryce Young's WR corps

Chark, who signed a one-year deal with Carolina in March, will be evaluated day to day

The Carolina Panthers are getting a bit dinged up at wide receiver as the NFL inches closer to the start of the 2023 regular season. On Wednesday, wideout D.J. Chark missed practice with what the team says is a hamstring injury. Head coach Frank Reich declined to divulge more details surrounding Chark's injury, but the team isn't "anticipating any big moves" at the wideout position as they evaluate Chark daily.

The veteran signed a one-year deal with the Panthers back in March and is expected to be a sizable piece within Carolina's passing game as they usher in No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young. This preseason, Chark has caught two of his four targets for 18 yards. The 26-year-old is coming off a 2022 season with the Lions where he totaled 502 yards and three touchdowns on 30 catches through 11 games. 

While Chark's injury reportedly doesn't appear serious, the injuries are piling up a bit for the Panthers. On top of Chark, Laviska Shenault Jr. (concussion protocol), Terrace Marshall Jr. (back) and Damiere Byrd (injured reserve, hamstring) are all also dealing with injuries. However, Reich didn't sound overly concerned about the mounting injuries to this group.

"I don't want to sound glib about anything, but I've just been involved in enough games that you have a ding here, a ding there," Reich said, via the official team website. "I don't overreact to something. First, I've got to find out what's the severity of it. Or, if a guy gets something, exactly where are we at on that? I just don't overreact to those things. It's a next-man-up mentality. 

"We've talked about this from the beginning. As a staff, we always talk about healthy tension; you'll probably hear me use that word a lot over the time that I'm here. On one hand, we care extremely deeply about every player and every injury. It hurts to see a guy get dinged or get injured, whatever the case, so you feel compassion. But yet it's next-man-up, and you've got to keep moving on. And everybody knows that, so that's what we do."

Projected starters Adam Thielen and Jonathan Mingo have remained healthy to this point.