Tennessee Titans receiver Tajae Sharpe has been named the team’s biggest surprise offseason standout by ESPN.
If Tennessee Titans wide receiver Tajae Sharpe is going to have a bounce-back year and stave-off some of the new faces in order to get targets and produce in 2019, he is certainly off to a good start.
ESPN compiled a list of every NFL team’s biggest surprise offseason standout and Sharpe was named as the choice for the Titans.
The explanation was written by Turren Davenport of ESPN.
"Sharpe welcomes the competition from free agent Adam Humphries and second-round pick A.J. Brown. He continues to exhibit precise route-running skills, leading to frequent targets from Marcus Mariota and Ryan Tannehill. Sharpe has hauled in pretty much everything thrown his way. The fifth-year veteran stood out especially in red zone 7-on-7 periods. Sharpe figures to be in the mix for the No. 3 wideout spot and is showing his versatility by lining up in multiple WR spots."
This will be a defining season for Sharpe in his fourth year, as he now has to battle for targets and playing time with newcomers Adam Humphries and rookie A.J. Brown. The good news for Sharpe is that the Titans are using him all over the field and he is making the most of his opportunities.
Following a promising rookie campaign in 2016 that saw the former fifth-round pick catch 41 balls for 522 yards and two touchdowns, Sharpe was forced to miss the entire 2017 season with a foot injury. He returned in 2018 and saw a little over half the targets he did in his rookie season, leading to just 26 catches for 316 yards and two scores.
Sharpe has shown flashes—like in the game last October against the Los Angeles Chargers when he nabbed seven catches on nine targets for 101 yards—but has yet to fully realize his potential. Perhaps being a year removed from his return from a season-ending injury will help change his fortunes.
This year could be the year Sharpe breaks out and it seems he’s already on the right track to doing so.