One common strategy of Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes through his first two years is to hand free agents a one-year, prove-it deal. This way, the Lions aren’t committed long-term to a newcomer, but if they end up becoming a strong contributor, Detroit has a leg up on signing them the following year.
That strategy has had its mix of failures (Breshad Perriman, Tyrell Williams) and successes (Charles Harris, Kalif Raymond).
Then there’s someone like DJ Chark, who falls squarely in the middle between success story and “just didn’t work out.” The Lions have a difficult decision awaiting Chark and company, so let’s take a closer look at our continuing Lions free agent profile series.