Will the Jaguars regret letting Cecil Shorts walk?

The Jacksonville Jaguars are the youngest team in the NFL and nowhere is that more evident than in the receiving corps. After drafting Rashad Greene in the 5th round this year, the Jaguars top 4 receivers have a combined 3 years of experience in the league.

General manager David Caldwell recognized the inexperience in the passing game, so he targeted veterans Julius Thomas and Randall Cobb in free agency. Caldwell managed to snag Thomas but missed out on Cobb.

Despite not landing a veteran receiver in free agency, Caldwell still decided to let Cecil Shorts walk away in free agency. Russell Baxter of Bleacher Report thinks it’s a move the Jaguars will regret:

"We have oftentimes suggested the Jacksonville Jaguars may want to bring in a slightly more experienced wide receiver to complement the likes of second-year pros Allen Robinson, Allen Hurns and Marqise Lee. Add in 2015 draft choices Rashad Greene (Florida State) and Neal Sterling (Monmouth) and this is a wide-eyed bunch of wideouts that second-year quarterback Blake Bortles will be throwing to.In 50 games with the Jaguars, four-year pro Cecil Shorts racked up 176 catches for 2,343 yards and one dozen scores. Those may not be eye-popping numbers, but they certainly dwarf the numbers of Robinson, Hurns, etc.Now that Shorts is a member of the division-rival Houston Texans, he will have at least two opportunities per season to remind the Jaguars what they may be missing."

Shorts was one of the few bright spots of the Jacksonville offense over the past several years, but it was time to move on. The team needed to find playing time for it’s young nucleus of pass catcher and Shorts’ lingering injuries kept him from developing into an upper echelon receiver.

Shorts might play well when the Texans see the Jaguars in the regular season, but it’s just as likely that he’s on the injury report and doesn’t play a snap. I hope the best for him, but I don’t think the Jaguars are hurting too much after seeing Shorts go.

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