Nov 24, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Cecil Shorts (84) runs after a catch against the Houston Texans during the first half at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Campbell-USA TODAY Sports
During last season the Texans finished fifth in the NFL in rushing, but their passing game left a lot to be desired as they finished 17th in the league. When you consider the litany of injuries that Houston suffered at the quarterback position, this is actually an astonishing thing.
They went through several injuries during the year and saw Ryan Fitzpatrick, Ryan Mallett, Tom Savage and Case Keenum all get playing time. The most shocking thing about that is the only passer who took snaps for the Texans in 2014 that was on the team in 2013 was Keenum. Oddly enough, Keenum wasn’t even part of the plans last year, but he was brought in after being waived by St. Louis and Houston was running out of players.
So naturally a quarterback would be the selection here, right? What gives me pause to use a passer here is the fact that Houston seems like they are potentially going to roll out newly signed Brian Hoyer, and I think this is a huge mistake.
So, with that being said the player who will most affect the change in offense in 2015 is Cecil Shorts III, the veteran receiver brought in to fill the shoes of recently departed Andre Johnson.
Shorts is a player who battles durability, but since becoming a starter in Jacksonville has never played less than 13 games in a season. During his most productive year in 2012 he averaged 17.8 yards per catch and crossed the goal line seven times.
During his three year span as a starter (he hardly saw the field in 2011 as a rookie) he never had less than 53 receptions and 557 yards. Of course both those numbers were from last year, but I believe Houston will offer a better chance for consistency with the players around him than he saw with the Jaguars.
With Shorts ability to get deep and his experience in the league he will provide a lot of help to the newly appointed number one wide out, DeAndre Hopkins. After the departure of Johnson, the team needed someone to keep defenses honest while trying to guard “Nuk,” and Shorts will provide just that.
Next: Someone Needs To Stop The Opposing Receivers