Chicago Bears give former Chiefs WR a new opportunity

The Chicago Bears are likely going to feature a minor pipeline of former Kansas City Chiefs players for the next couple of years as general manager Ryan Poles settles into his role and tries to address needs with guys he knows. The latest example is the signing of former Chiefs wide receiver Tajae Sharpe to the Bears’ 90-man roster.

Sharpe comes to the Bears as a former fifth-round pick of the Tennessee Titans back in the 2016 NFL Draft after at UMass (an FBS program). Sharpe earned an immediate starting spot for the Titans that season and he put up 41 catches for 522 yards and 2 touchdowns during his rookie campaign. However, a foot injury robbed him of his entire sophomore season on injured reserve..

Former Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tajae Sharpe has a new opportunity in the NFL thanks to the Chicago Bears.

By the time Sharpe returned in 2018, Tennessee had started to restock the position and eventually crowd out Sharpe, who was not as effective on the other side of his injury. He’d finish up his rookie deal in 2019, but that would be the end of his ability to find a long-term home.

Since leaving the Titans, Sharpe has had opportunities with the Minnesota Vikings, Atlanta Falcons, and Chiefs. However with the Chiefs, it was only a smaller role on the practice squad that was renewed in part during the 2021 offseason, but nothing ever materialized on the active roster during a regular season or postseason.

Fortunately last year, Sharpe, who is still only 27 years old, played in 15 games for the Falcons and enjoyed a bit of a resurgence in terms of his relevance—his 25 catches for 230 yards were his highest totals in two seasons.

Sharpe joins two other former Chiefs receivers with the Bears these days in Chris Finke, who the Chiefs released earlier this spring, and Byron Pringle, who signed a one-year deal with Chicago in free agency.