Cecil Shorts will get put on injured reserve
Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Cecil Shorts III (84) stiff arms Houston Texans cornerback Johnathan Joseph(24) as he is pushed out of bounds in the first quarter at EverBank Field. Mandatory Credit: Phil Sears-USA TODAY Sports
Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Cecil Shorts is one of the toughest players in the game and definitely doesn’t want to be shut down for the remainder of the season, but the Jaguars are wisely deciding to go that route. The Florida Times-Union’s Ryan O’Halloran reports that the Jags will place Shorts on the injured reserve at some point later today, and it’s a move that has been rumored for a few days now. Shorts admitted last week that his groin injury will require surgery following the season, but he stated after this week’s loss to the Buffalo Bills that he has no desire to miss the remainder of the season and thinks he can gut it out.
The injury was significant enough to cause Shorts to miss the Bills game, and an injury causing Shorts to miss a game is definitely notable news. This is a guy who played through a very painful SC sprain earlier this year, and he even managed to have a very good game despite the injury. The Jaguars are smart enough to realize that even though they want to win games to boost their organization’s confidence, they know that messing with an injury regarding their best player on offense is not good business.
So kudos to the Jaguars for not listening to Shorts’s competitive spirit and for placing him on the injured reserve, because it’s the best move for the future of this franchise. Shorts is central to the Jaguars, because he’s a fan-favorite, a hard-worker who you always want to have on your team, and an incredible talent. He’s one of the game’s most talented receivers, and he’s a real building block for this team. Not only is he clearly their best player on offense, but he’s also only 25. Beyond that, he will be the next quarterback’s go-to-target, and any rookie passer would love to have a guy like Shorts running routes out there.
Let’s wish Cecil Shorts the best in his recovery and hope for a successful surgery, and the Jaguars made the right move here. I honestly thought that Shorts would convince the Jaguars to at least allow him to play in Week 17, but it’s good to see the Jaguars deciding to place him on the I.R. instead.