Getty Justin Shorter runs after making a catch in a Buffalo Bills preseason game.
With just two games remaining in the 2023 regular season and little room on the roster, the Buffalo Bills may have to wait until next year to get a look at their rookie wide receiver.
The Bills used a fifth-round pick on receiver Justin Shorter, who was expected to play a role both in the offense and on special teams and look sharp in three preseason games. But the team announced on August 30 that the rookie was headed to injured reserve with a hamstring injury, and now have little time remaining to add him to the active roster.
The team opened the 21-day practice window for Shorter on December 13 and will soon face a decision to move him to the roster and release another player or shut down down for the remainder of the season.
With the Bills fielding a fully healthy wide receiver room, The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia predicted that Shorter would not see the field at all in 2023.
Rookie Could Be Headed for Red-Shirt Year
Buscaglia predicted on December 17 that Shorter would likely be headed for a red-shirt season unless an injury strikes the team’s wide receiving corps. The Bills have been able to avoid significant injuries, with receivers Stefon Diggs, Gabe Davis and Khalil Shakir all appearing in all 15 games this season.
The Bills already made one roster move this week, activating cornerback Kaiir Elam after a stint on injured reserve. The team had one open roster spot so didn’t need to release any player to free up a spot.
We’ve signed LS Reid Ferguson and OT Germain Ifedi.
WR Justin Shorter and LB Baylon Spector have been placed on IR: t.co/waWAS5q9ec
If the Bills want to move Shorter off injured reserve and to the active roster, they would face a much tougher roster decision. As Sal Capaccio of WGR 550 reported, the Bills will already have to make another decision on defensive tackle DaQuan Jones.
“DT DaQuan Jones also appears set to return soon,” Capaccio wrote on X. “They actually have until January 9 to activate him, but if he’s healthy enough and the team wants him available this weekend vs. Patriots, they’d have to do it this week. In that scenario, if they activated both Elam and Jones, they would have to make room on the roster for one player, either via release or IR.”
“The team also has until January 3 to activate WR Justin shorter from IR or he will stay there for the remainder of the season,” Capaccio added.
Justin Shorter Earned Preseason Buzz
Shorter, a former No. 1 high school prospect in 2018, had a productive career at Florida with 95 receptions for 1,395 yards and eight touchdowns in three seasons. He made a strong impression on the Bills during pre-draft interviews, with general manager Brandon Beane telling the Buffalo News that Shorter looked like a good fit for the franchise.
“We really liked him. We brought him in for the 30 visit, really felt like this was our kind of DNA being around him a little bit more,” Beane said. “And he acknowledged that there’s more in his game, and so hopefully working with (wide receivers) coach (Adam) Henry and (offensive coordinator Ken) Dorsey and all those guys that we can grow him.”
Shorter earned praise for his versatile play in training camp and the preseason, playing on special teams units and taking on a big role in the passing game. He was targeted 11 times in three games, making six receptions for 66 yards and one touchdown.
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Insider Predicts Bills Will Shut Down Rookie WR for the Season