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Shorts finished the 2016 season with 11 receptions (27 targets) for 152 yards and no scores over nine games. He also returned one kickoff for 19 yards.
The sixth-year pro arrived in Tampa five days prior to the season opener after a surprise release by the Texans, and it could well prove to be the final stop of his career. Shorts suffered a catastrophic knee injury in Week 13 versus the Chargers, one that saw him tear the ACL, MCL and PCL in his right knee. Going on 30 years of age, the Mt. Union product is thus likely to encounter significant difficulty in regaining both the necessary explosion and requisite interest from teams that would enable him to once again acquire gainful employment in the league. Shorts also had trouble achieving separation on a consistent basis when he was healthy in 2016, as he notably went without a reception in three of the nine contests he was active for, and tallied just one catch in four others. A veteran with a solid track record, Shorts was thought to have a realistic chance of vaulting Adam Humphries for the slot receiver role when he was first signed, but then actually was handed the reins of the No. 2 job once Vincent Jackson (knee) was lost to injury. Having failed to make a significant impact in that role and now also facing an extensive rehabilitation, he doesn't figure to be on the NFL radar in 2017 at a minimum.
