The Atlanta Falcons announced on Friday that the team has reached an agreement with free agent wide receiver DJ Chark Jr. The former standout receiver and second-round pick from LSU has had a career full of ups and downs, going from a Pro Bowl selection in 2019 to playing for four different teams in four years since 2021. Chark is looking to join Atlanta and find his stride again in an offense full of versatile weapons. However, it won't happen without stiff competition from undrafted free agent Nick Nash.
Falcons UDFA Nick Nash Had Some Veteran Competition in the Building
It is not often that you hear of a collegiate quarterback switch to wide receiver and have a successful career. However, that is exactly what Nash did. In fact, he was a quarterback for San Jose State for three years before switching to wide receiver. Once he switched to receiver, Nash never looked back. He continued to improve on his stats each year up until this past college football season. In 2024, Nash received the prestigious "triple crown", leading the FBS in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns.
Despite these incredible statistics, Nash went undrafted in the most recent NFL Draft. Similarly to Cobee Bryant, who was also signed by the Falcons, nobody quite understood why the standout player went undrafted. It did not take Atlanta long to jump on the opportunity, and Nash was a Falcon. After the signing, fans saw a clear opportunity for him to make an impact immediately. Nash could fit perfectly as a slot receiver in different spread packages, and could provide a perfect safety net if any injury plagues were to hit the team.
An UDFA working their way to a starting role is hard enough as it is, but it just got tougher for Nash. With the recent signing of Chark, it obviously leads to questions of whether Nash will be able to contend like before. Despite the signing, there are still opportunities for Nash to gain roles in this new look offense. Darnell Mooney recently suffered a shoulder injury during the team's first week of practice. With him expected to miss several weeks, Nash is expected to be needed to step up in training camp.
If Nash did not already have training camp pressure, he does now. He obviously has the talent to be a contender for starting snaps, but he will have to fight for that with the former Pro Bowler, Chark. Not only that, he will have just a few weeks until Mooney is expected to be healthy again. It is definitely possible, but also something to keep an eye on this training camp in Flowery Branch.