Cecil Shorts Injury: Updates on Texans WR's Hamstring and Return

Cecil Shorts III is an effective player when he's on the field, but the oft-injured wide receiver's durability issues will keep him out of action once again Sunday.Continue for updates.Shorts Out Week 8 with Hamstring InjuryThursday, Oct. 29According to Deepi Sidhu of the Texans' website, the fifth-year wideout will not play in Week 8 against the Tennessee Titans.Shorts is nursing a hamstring ailment, which also kept him out of action last week when the Texans were throttled by the Miami Dolphins.The Texans signed Shorts during the offseason after parting ways with Andre Johnson, and the former Jacksonville Jaguars pass-catcher has proved to be a solid complement to DeAndre Hopkins thus far when healthy.Shorts has played a different role than he is accustomed to, as he has primarily operated out of the slot. After being used as an outside threat for so many years with the Jags, he admitted earlier in the season that there was a learning curve he had to navigate, according to Jayson Braddock of ESPN 97.5 Houston:Just when it seemed as though Shorts was getting comfortable, the injury bug bit him once again in Week 4 against the Atlanta Falcons, as he suffered a separated shoulder on the final play of the contest.That forced him to miss Houston's ensuing game against the Indianapolis Colts, but he was back in the lineup soon after, as he suited up in Week 6 for his first career clash with the Jaguars.Shorts' ability to bounce back from what was likely a fairly painful injury so quickly drew praise from Texans head coach Bill O'Brien, per Drew Dougherty of Texans TV:Unfortunately for the Texans, his return was short-lived, as he is now set to miss his second consecutive contest. Seeing as the 27-year-old wideout has never appeared in more than 14 games in a single season over the course of his five-year career, though, his issues aren't unexpected.Shorts' continued injury struggles come at a terrible time for the Texans, as their offense is very much in flux. Quarterback Brian Hoyer is entrenched as the starting QB for better or worse after Ryan Mallett was released, while running back Arian Foster is out for the rest of the season with a torn Achilles, according to ESPN.com's Tania Ganguli.For as long as Shorts is on the shelf,Hopkins figures to benefit, as he will receive even more targets than he already does. Also, veteran Nate Washington, along with rookies Jaelen Strong and Keith Mumphery, promises to have an increased role.The Texans are already shorthanded on offense with Foster out of the equation, and being without Shorts means Houston needs Hopkins to be at his best, as well as running back Alfred Blue, to take some pressure off the passing game.Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.
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