Viktor
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- Mar 19, 2019
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The Vikings could face situations in which they need to play with three or four receivers at once (hurry-up offense at the end of a half); or they could use that personnel (a passing look) to force a defense to use smaller personnel and then run the football.
Minnesota has had somewhat of a revolving door at receiver beyond Thielen and Diggs and is looking to solidify the depth of the position group. When Thielen was injured last season, Bisi Johnson's versatility helped him step in and contribute.
The Vikings lost Chad Beebe for all but two weeks, and Josh Doctson, who was signed last September, landed on Injured Reserve/Designated to Return days after joining the Vikings. He played in one game.
Minnesota took a look at Alexander Hollins late in the season, and he caught two passes for 46 yards on four targets.
Already past the midpoint of training camp, the Vikings have Beebe, undrafted free agents Dan Chisena and Quartney Davis, Hollins, Jefferson, Johnson, Dillon Mitchell, fifth-round pick K.J. Osborn, Sharpe and Thielen.
Besides 56 starts by Thielen, Sharpe's 29 are the most on the team and six more than the rest of the players combined.
In the past four seasons, Johnson and Laquon Treadwell (2019), Treadwell and Aldrick Robinson (2018), Treadwell and Jarius Wright (2017) and Cordarrelle Patterson and Charles Johnson (2016) have been the third and fourth most-targeted players at the position.
Sharpe was the fourth most-targeted Titans receiver last season, third most in 2018 and second as a rookie.
His per-season averages over the three seasons in which he has played follow:
55 targets, 30.7 receptions, 389 yards, 23 first downs and 2.7 touchdowns
To compare those numbers, we averaged the totals of the above "No. 3/No. 4" Vikings receivers from 2016-19:
39.5 targets, 25.3 receptions, 261.8 yards, 14 first downs and 1.8 touchdowns
Sharpe has been productive with his opportunities, despite having caught touchdowns from three different Titans quarterbacks in as many seasons. He also played for two head coaches and three offensive coordinators in four seasons, including current Green Bay Head Coach Matt LaFleur.
LaFleur was quarterbacks coach in Washington under Mike Shanahan from 2010-13. Shanahan was San Francisco's offensive coordinator in 1994 when Vikings Offensive Coordinator Gary Kubiak was the quarterbacks coach of the 49ers. Shanahan then took Kubiak to Denver, where they were head coach and offensive coordinator, respectively, from 1995-2005.
Sharpe has been able to build on the carryover between the Vikings system under Kubiak and LaFleur's.
"We had some similar formations and route concepts, but pretty much I feel like every team runs the same thing and calls it something else," Sharpe said. "You've just got to get used to the terminology and formations and things of that nature. Coming from under LaFleur, it wasn't too big of a change, but it definitely helps me that I was under that system previously. I just had to get used to the new terminology and things like that. It's coming along well, though."
Early in camp, Kubiak said Sharpe "has really been in our system at Tennessee."
"Same verbiage, really same system," Kubiak said. "Easy for him to catch up, and you can see it with these early walk-throughs."
As the Vikings proceed with evaluating receivers, they'll have to do so without the benefit of preseason games. Head Coach Mike Zimmer will continue to create game-like situations frequently.
Sharpe recently made the most of increased opportunities in an Aug. 20 when Thielen was assigned a lighter load.
Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins recently explained what quarterbacks want to see from receivers.
"You want that athleticism where you know your receivers can create separation and win versus man coverage, which I think we have," Cousins said. "You also want someone you know you can count on, who's going to get lined up and know where to go in the pass game, in the run game and handle all the terminology and all the different rules. And we have a group of guys that can do that, too. From both sides, I think we've got a great group in the receivers room."