Vikings Waive Tajae Sharpe, Add Khalfani Muhammad to Practice Squad
Tajae Sharpe's career with the Vikings has ended without a single reception.
The veteran wide receiver was waived on Monday after a disappointing season in which he was rarely active and failed to make an impact in minimal snaps. The Vikings also made a couple other roster moves, activating tight end Hale Hentges from the exempt list and signing running back Khalfani Muhammad to the practice squad.
Sharpe was one of the Vikings' only free agent signings this past offseason, inking a one-year, $1 million deal after spending his first four seasons with the Titans. At the time, it seemed like Sharpe had a clear path to being one of the Vikings' top two or three receivers. The former fifth-round pick is a solid player with good size who had recorded nearly 1,200 yards and eight touchdowns during three healthy seasons in Tennessee.
The Vikings drafting Justin Jefferson a month later made Sharpe's chances at playing time less bright, although he still figured to have a role of some sort. He made the initial 53-man roster along with Adam Thielen, Jefferson, Bisi Johnson, and Chad Beebe, but never showed enough in practice or games to earn consistent playing time.
Sharpe was active in Week 1 and 2, playing a total of 16 snaps and failing to catch his only target, an infamous 4th and 3 decision by Kirk Cousins against the Packers. He was then inactive for every game until Weeks 12 and 14 against the Panthers and Buccaneers. Sharpe was targeted once in each of those games, but couldn't come down with either one. After his deep target against the Buccaneers this past Sunday, Vikings radio announcer Paul Allen criticized Sharpe for not running the route at full speed.
His final stats in Minnesota are four games, 28 snaps, three targets, and zero catches. That's not exactly what the Vikings had in mind when they signed him in March, but it was a low-risk, low-cost move.
The Vikings will go forward with Johnson and Beebe as the top secondary options at receiver behind Thielen and Jefferson. Neither Dan Chisena nor K.J. Osborn has played a single offensive snap this year, although both have played on special teams.
Hentges being activated means he'll have his first practices as a Viking this week and could be in line for some playing time next Sunday if Kyle Rudolph can't return from his foot injury. Here's everything you need to know about Hentges.
Lastly, the Vikings have added Muhammad to the practice squad after working him out last week. They wanted an extra running back for depth reasons while Alexander Mattison continues to recover from appendectomy surgery.
Muhammad, 26, was a seventh-round pick in 2017 after a four-year career at California. He has spent time with the Titans, Patriots, Broncos, and Cardinals, but has never appeared in an NFL game.
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