Shorter signs with the Raiders, switching up his jersey and position.
Justin Shorter, a former wide receiver with the Buffalo Bills, has joined the practice squad of the Las Vegas Raiders after signing a contract. As part of the team’s official top-30 visit schedule that spring, Shorter, who was selected by the Bills in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, also made a visit to One Bills Drive.
Regretfully, Shorter did not have the opportunity or talent to succeed during his time with the Bills. As a result, Shorter was not added to the Buffalo Bills practice squad or included on their initial 53-man roster.
Maybe it was just a numbers game that would ultimately ruin Shorter’s hopes of playing for the Bills in 2024. There are only five wide receivers on their active roster, and Sean Murphy scouted him this summer with the possibility of playing as the sixth receiver.
It was disappointing for Shorter to not make an impression during his second training camp with the Bills, given the potential the 6’4″, 224-pound former Florida Gators receiver brought to One Bills Drive. All things considered, Shorter hasn’t lived up to the pre-draft fanfare despite being a large player with the kind of background needed to flourish in the NFL.
When questioned about Justin Shorter’s failure to make the club, general manager Brandon Beane responded as follows: Shorter’s greatest achievements with the Bills were during preseason action, when he caught six passes on 11 targets for 66 yards and one score. Shorter recorded two catches for 15 yards on four targets during the 2024 preseason. There isn’t a single regular-season or postseason stat that Shorter has recorded.
Wearing a “88” jersey, Shorter will try to move from wide receiver to tight end with the Raiders. Shorter provides size, and if he can gain sufficient weight of the proper kind, he has the potential to be a productive tight end.
Given how his professional career started, sitting on Injured Reserve for the entire season due to a hamstring injury in his rookie year and then failing to make Buffalo’s practice squad in his second year, Shorter has nowhere to go but up. With Shorter unable to establish himself in college, maybe the writing was always on the wall.
I hope Justin Shorter can make the most of his new opportunity with the Raiders, as many have said he is a D.K. Metcalf type player.
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