With the departure of Andre Johnson -- and even before -- the Houston Texans had a need to upgrade the wide receiver position.
Monday, the Texans did just that signing former Jacksonville Jaguars wide out Cecil Shorts III. The deal is for two years and $6 million, according to NFL.com.
Shorts is expected to be either the second or third wide receiver position on the Texans with DeAndre Hopkins slotted for the No. 1 spot on the depth chart after Johnson's departure. Playing alongside Hopkins should give Shorts an additional edge that he has not seen in previous years with the Jaguars, with the chance at some big plays with a strong rushing offense.
Shorts' stats have declined each season since having his best in 2012 where the receiver caught 55 passes for 979 yards along with seven touchdowns. In 2014, Shorts played in 13 games, recording just 557 yards on 53 receptions.
Some of the lack of production can be attributed to the fact the Jaguars have lacked a significant force at quarterback with the likes of Chad Henne, Blaine Gabbert and Blake Bortles throwing passes at the receiver since being drafted by Jacksonville in the fourth round in 2011. While the Texans focus more on the running attack on offense, Shorts may be facing a similar situation at quarterback with Brian Hoyer and Ryan Mallett competing for the starting role in 2015. While Hoyer has some starting experience, and Mallett has two starts under his belt, both are virtually unknowns when it comes to level of talent at the position, especially under Bill O'Brien's intricate offensive system.
While Shorts doesn't have the dominating stats of other NFL receivers after four years in the league, he does have great potential coming at a relatively low price for the next two seasons for the Texans.
Follow Shawn Ramsey on Twitter: @ShawnPRamsey
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