TJ

Sheffield

The 2024 sixth-round pick was crowded out by a new GM who brought in a pair of fourth-round picks. Jackson did not play in the preseason. The Titans also waived: WR TJ Sheffield, DT Josiah Bronson, DT TJ Smith, OLB Desmond Evans, ILB Amari Burney, CB Jalen Kimber, CB Clarence Lewis, CB Jermari Harris, CB Davion Ross, S Julius Wood, and S Joshuah Bledsoe. They released DE Joe Gaziano, G Arlington Hambright, and C Sam Mustipher while putting a waived/injured designation on Matt Landers.

While the headlines will be dominated by fellow WR David Bell, and rightly so, Sheffield (5'11"/185) also had a nice day and was a good outlet for QB O’Connell when he needed it. He showed good speed all game, his touchdown coming on a short rollout pass by O’Connell and Sheffield beat the defenders to the edge to score. He almost scored an identical touchdown in the third quarter. Sheffield made a full extension catch on an O’Connell roll out and almost made it to the pylon. Instead though, in his effort to get in, Sheffield actually dropped the ball which was ruled an Iowa touchback. Purdue was only up by ten at this point, and it looked like it could’ve been a turning point until Purdue’s defense near instantly shut the ensuing drive down with two straight sacks. Sheffield was a great complementary piece to Bell, and will need to keep that up next Saturday against Wisconsin.

It was a low-scoring affair between the Boilermakers and the Illini, until Sheffield (5'11/185) mercifully ended the touchdown drought on a 14-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Aidan O’Connell. The touchdown put Purdue up 13-9, which ended up being the final score, but there weren’t too many things to love about this game. Purdue will look to piece together a better offensive performance in Week 5 against Minnesota.

During fall camp, Sheffield (5'11/185) was charged with battery of a public safety official after his being involved in an incident in early May. While being treated for an apparent case of alcohol poisoning, Sheffield is alleged to have bitten the paramedic who was trying to help him. The charge is a Level 6 felony in Indiana, but the situation has apparently been resolved to the point where Sheffield can return to game action. He did not play in this past weekend’s win over Oregon State.

Sheffield (5'11/180) has just two catches for 12 yards this season, both coming in a Sept. 28 loss to Minnesota. The four-star frosh -- he was once committed to Notre Dame -- will hopefully be able to get back on the field in the spring.

On Saturday it was reported that Sheffield (5'11/180) would be out for an extended period of time, so this update doesn’t come as a surprise. Purdue has been hit hard by injuries this season but especially at wide receiver. In addition to Sheffield, Rondale Moore (hamstring), Mershawn Rice (hamstring) and Milton Wright (undisclosed) all sat out the Penn State loss due to injury. Wright is “50/50" to play against Maryland.

Sheffield (5'10/165) had an active early recruitment, eventually committing to Tennessee in November of 2016. He held firm with the Vols into last October, but backed off that pledge following Alabama’s 45-7 beatdown of the weary program. Notre Dame’s gain, now, with Sheffield ranking on the 247Sports composite board as the No. 236 overall prospect in the 2019 class. While he needs to add considerable bulk before he’s ready to contribute at the collegiate level, he’ll be a fun one to watch in South Bend when the time comes. Sheffield has outstanding wheels, both in terms of his long speed and his short-space acceleration.

Sheffield (5'11/180) is just one of the wide receivers on the Purdue roster dealing with injuries. Rondale Moore (hamstring), Mershawn Rice (hamstring) and Milton Wright (undisclosed) also missed Saturday’s 35-7 loss at Penn State, with Wright considered to only be “50/50" to play next weekend vs. Maryland. David Bell (three catches for 56 yards) and Jackson Anthrop (seven for 41) were responsible for ten of Purdue’s 14 completions vs. Penn State.

Well that was fast. Sheffield had just committed to Notre Dame on July 6. A few days later and that pledge has deflated like a misshapen soufflé. There’s a reason for the sudden about face. According to Sheffield, Notre Dame called him to inform him that they had changed plans and would not be honoring his commitment. It’s not been the smoothest of recruiting roads for the receiver, as he had earlier thrown his lot in with Tennessee before backing off the Vols in October following the program being rolled by Alabama. A fast wideout with impressive burst, the 247Sports composite board sees Sheffield in at No. 286 overall for the 2019 cycle. Purdue and Ohio State have both received unofficial visits from the wideout this offseason, but it’s unclear at this early juncture just which programs might be drawing his eye now that South Bend is no longer in the cards.