Adding Tajae Sharpe Into Fold Is Smallest Of Baby Steps For Vikings

The slow slog through free agency for the Minnesota Vikings continues to go at its uninspiring pace. They have several major holes to fill when and if the season kicks off in September – who knows how long the COVID-19 pandemic will impact day-to-day life – and perhaps the most obvious deficiency is at the wide receiver spot.

The Vikings had one of the best wide receiver duos on paper at the start of the 2019 season with Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs, but general manager Rick Spielman did not give head coach Mike Zimmer much depth at the position.

It was not supposed to be a big issue because the Vikings were planning to emphasize the running game in their new – yet old – offense. But plans were scuttled somewhat when Thielen had to battle hamstring injuries throughout the year. They still had Diggs, and he ultimately had a fine year, but there were rough spots early on that manifested themselves in a brutal game against the Chicago Bears and angst in the Minnesota lockerroom.

The Vikings traded Diggs to the Buffalo Bills before the start of free agency, and that makes the need for talent at the wide receiver position even stronger than it was at the end of the season.

The first move Spielman has made to strengthen that position is the addition of Tajae Sharpe, who agreed to a one-year, $1 million contract Friday. Sharpe had been with the Tennessee Titans, and he had spent four seasons with the team before agreeing to come to Minnesota.

Sharpe’s history in the NFL has been quite ordinary. He caught 41 passes for 522 yards and two touchdowns in his rookie season in 2016. He did not play in 2017 as a result of a stress fracture to his foot, and his 2018 and 2019 seasons were both uninspiring. He caught 26 passes for 316 yards and two scores in ’18, and he followed that with a 25-329-4 showing last year.

At this point, Sharpe appears to be the team’s starter opposite Thielen, but he obviously does not compare to Diggs, who is coming off back-to-back seasons where he exceeded 1,000 receiving yards.

Sharpe, who looks the part of a big-time wide receiver at 6-2 and 194 pounds, knows he has big shoes to fill.

“The opportunity that’s being presented with Diggs being traded, having kind of a void to fill at the receiver position, I felt like I had the opportunity to come in here and compete for a starting spot,” Sharpe said, per the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. “That’s all that you can ask for is the opportunity to come in and compete, to prove your worth.”

Sharpe will certainly have an opportunity to prove himself in Minnesota, and he will not cost the Vikings very much compared to other receivers who are likely to start for their teams.

While Sharpe gets a new opportunity to show off his skills withn a new organization, there’s no way the Vikings can look at the former Titan and count on him. Is he good enough to become a key member of the offense who can take the heat off Thielen, quarterback Kirk Cousins and running back Dalvin Cook? Not likely. He is merely a player who is getting a chance to prove himself.

The Vikings have five picks coming in the first three rounds of the upcoming draft, and it is almost certain that at least one of those picks will be used on a talented wide receiver.

Two of those picks are in the first round, and they have the No. 22 and 25 spots. It seems quite likely that one of those picks will net the team a wideout.

This is a draft that is rich in wide receivers, and the Vikings could have a shot at LSU’s Justin Jefferson, Colorado’s Laviska Shenault, or Arizona State’s Brandon Aiyuk.

One of those wideouts would have the potential to push Sharpe and steal the position, but that would mean a quick adaptation to the NFL.

The decision to bring Sharpe into the fold is a lukewarm move. The Vikings have much more to do if they are going to have a fully competitive offense in 2020.