Does Titans receiver Tajae Sharpe have tenuous grasp on roster spot?

Jason Wolf | The Tennessean

Show Caption Hide Caption Titans bolster receiving corps The Titans have made several moves this offseason to help Marcus Mariota and the passing attack

A year after claiming a starting role out of training camp, former fifth-round draft pick Tajae Sharpe may head into his second NFL season with a tenuous grasp on a roster spot.

An infusion of talent at wide receiver has pushed him down the Titans’ depth chart. A civil lawsuit and police investigation over an alleged assault hang overhead. And surgery for a stress fracture in his right foot sidelined him for the final two weeks of offseason workouts.

Sharpe hopes to be healthy for the start of training camp in late July. But there’s a difference between being healthy and being physically able to compete at an elite level against teammates who continue to work out and hone their craft.

“Some of them like Tajae is going to have a hard time,” Titans coach Mike Mularkey said on the last day of offseason workouts, about players continuing to work out during the break. “Obviously he’s not going to run right now, but he’s got to do something to stay in shape. You can’t come back and expect to get in shape in training camp. It’s not like the old days. Training camp is short. You used to be able to build into it in the training camps. You can’t do that anymore. You’ve got to be ready to go. No matter what your injury is, there’s something you can do, cardio-wise, to train.”

Sharpe sat in his locker stall with a walking boot on his right foot, two weeks since needing a surgical screw to correct a stress fracture that had kept him off the practice field.

Sharpe was the second-most-productive wide receiver on the team last season, behind Rishard Matthews, but he caught just 41 of 83 targets (49 percent) for 522 yards and two touchdowns, and the Titans’ passing game ranked among the worst in the league. From Week 4 onward, as noted by Pro Football Focus, Sharpe averaged just 28.4 receiving yards per game.

In April, the Titans added two wide receivers in the draft.

They selected former Western Michigan wide receiver Corey Davis, who holds the FBS record for career receiving yards, with the fifth overall pick before trading up to take former Western Kentucky wideout Taywan Taylor in the third round.

On Monday, the Titans signed veteran wide receiver Eric Decker, whose 43 touchdown catches since 2012 rank fifth-most in the NFL.

Those additions essentially leave Sharpe among four players – including Harry Douglas, Eric Weems and Tre McBride – competing for one of two roster spots, should the Titans keep six wide receivers.

Douglas and Weems are older than 30 but have extensive experience with the Titans’ coaching staff. Douglas is a savvy player who leads by example and excels in the blocking game, which the Titans prize. Weems was signed in free agency and is a standout on special teams, which the Titans have poured resources into improving this offseason.

McBride, a seventh-round pick in 2015, played in seven games as a rookie but spent most of last season on the practice squad.

Sharpe has declined to speak to reporters since being sued in civil court on May 10. He's accused of assaulting a man outside a bar on the first night of the NFL draft. Metro police have concluded an investigation and will present their findings to a grand jury, which will decide whether criminal charges are warranted. Sharpe’s agent has called the claims “ridiculous” and said his client looks forward to vindicating his name. Mularkey has said he’s monitoring the situation.

A year after winning a starting job in training camp, Sharpe may have a difficult time carving out a role in the Titans’ offense.

“He’ll have a chance,” Mularkey said. “He’s got to get healthy. Again, that’s another one of those injuries, based on the person, how it heals. Hopefully he’s back for camp. That was the plan. We’ve just got to see how the bone heals. But he’ll compete like I know he will. Just like everybody has to on this team.”

Reach Jason Wolf at jwolf@tennessean.com and follow him on Twitter @JasonWolf and on Instagram and Snapchat at TitansBeat.