Getty WR No. 1 Russell Gage #14 of the Atlanta Falcons celebrates with Olamide Zaccheaus #17 and Tajae Sharpe #4 after scoring a TD.
The Atlanta Falcons could be without their No. 2 wide receiver, Tajae Sharpe, on Sunday as he has been downgraded to doubtful vs. the Detroit Lions, according to ESPN’s Michael Rothstein.
Sharpe left Week 15’s loss to the San Francisco 49ers early with a foot injury and did not practice all week leading up to Detroit.
The former Tennessee Titans draft pick has been starting in place of No. 1 receiver Calvin Ridley this season and has totaled 25 catches for 230 yards so far.
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Sharpe Is a UMass Football Alum
Sharpe, 26, was originally drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the fifth round (140 overall) of the 2016 NFL draft out of the University of Massachusetts.
Making Tennessee’s 53-man roster as a rookie didn’t come easy for Sharpe as he spent training camp competing against Andre Johnson, Dorial Green-Beckham and Kendall Wright. However, after he outperformed them in the offseason, he was named the starting wideout opposite to Rishard Matthews, thus making his first debut in the season opener against the Minnesota Vikings.
Sharped finished his rookie campaign with 41 receptions for 522 yards and two scores.
Unfortunately, the following season, he didn’t play a single game after being placed on the injured reserve with a foot injury ahead of Week 1. Sharpe returned for Tennessee in 2018 and 2019, but his fifth-year option was declined in 2020 following a production decline. He spent most of the year on the Minnesota Vikings’ practice squad. After being waved in December, he ended up in Kansas City before landing with the Falcons in May of 2021.
Falcons Elevate Speedy Veteran vs. Lions
Back in November, the Falcons re-signed speedy wide receiver Marvin Hall, who had previously spent the 2017 and 2018 seasons with the team, to the practice squad.
Hall will be elevated for emergency depth on Sunday.
The 28-year-old journeyman signed with the Oakland Raiders as an undrafted free agent in 2016. He didn’t see any playing time until 2017 when he first signed the Falcons and scored his first NFL career touchdown, a 40-yard reception from Matt Ryan, on just his second day with the team.
More recently, Hall recorded 291 receiving yards through 11 games with the Detroit Lions in 2020, which marked the most productive season of his six-year career.
Aside from Hall, the Falcons could look to Olamide Zaccheaus, Christian Blake or Frank Darby to start if Sharpe remains sidelined.
Falcons’ Week 16 Depth Chart vs. Lions
The Falcons are one sleep away from facing a Lions team that is fresh off a win over the Arizona Cardinals.
Below is the Falcons’ official Week 16 depth chart:
Offense
QB: Matt Ryan, Josh Rosen or Feleipe Franks
RB: Mike Davis, Cordarrelle Patterson, Qadree Ollison
WR: Tajae Sharpe, Christian Blake
WR: Russell Gage, Olamide Zaccheaus, Frank Darby
TE: Kyle Pitts, Lee Smith
TE: Hayden Hurst, Keith Smith
LT: Jake Matthews, Jason Spriggs
LG: Jalen Mayfield, Josh Andrews
C: Matt Hennessy, Drew Dalman
RG: Chris Lindstrom, Drew Dalman
RT: Kaleb McGary, Colby Gossett
Defense
DL: Grady Jarrett, Marlon Davidson
DL: Tyeler Davison, Ta’Quon Graham, Anthony Rush
DL: Jonathan Bullard, Mike Pennel, John Cominsky
OLB: Dante Fowler, Brandon Copeland
LB: Deion Jones, Mykal Walker
LB: Foyesade Oluokun
OLB: Steven Means, Adetokunbo Ogundeji, James Vaughters
CB: A.J. Terrell, Darren Hall
CB: Fabian Moreau, Avery Williams, Kendall Sheffield
S: Jaylinn Hawkins, Shawn Williams
S: Duron Harmon, Richie Grant
Special Teams
K: Younghoe Koo
P: Thomas Morstead
LS: Josh Harris
H: Thomas Morstead
PR: Avery Williams, Olamide Zaccheaus
KOR: Cordarrelle Patterson, Avery Williams
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