After releasing veteran wide recevier Andre Johnson earlier this offseason, the Houston Texans have been on the lookout for his possible replacement in free agency. That player could be visiting the Texans today as free agent wide out Cecil Shorts III is scheduled to meet with Houston on Monday.
Smart option RT @McClain_on_NFL: FA WR Cecil Shorts III is visiting with Texans today.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 16, 2015
For the past three seasons, Shorts has been the Jacksonville Jaguars most consistent wide recevier. But the 27-year old has struggled with injuries missing a total of eight games in the last three seasons.
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Last year, Shorts caught 53 passes on 110 targets for 557 yards and one score. Pro Football Focus ranked him the 204th best recevier in the NFL in 2014.
But Shorts battled hamstring issues and other soft tissue injuries all season. And consider his quarterbacks while in Jacksonville: Blaine Gabbert, Chad Henne and Blake Bortles.
Despite the poor numbers, Shorts is currently considered one of the best wide receivers still available in free agency. In fact, following a down year his price tag should be very reasonable.
With the upcoming NFL Draft’s receiver class projected to be almost as good as last year’s, the Texans could decide to address their recevier needs during April’s draft instead. But signing a veteran like Shorts would add some much needed depth to Houston’s depth chart.
The Texans currently have third-year wide recevier DeAndre Hopkins as their top receiving threat. And they recently re-signed wide out Damaris Johnson as their primary slot recevier.