As the offseason has progressed, the Houston Texans continue to make low cost investments on players who could yield a high return. The Texans are putting into practice a good model of roster building should look like, which is something that requires everyone on both the coaching staff and personnel departments share the same vision.

[MEDIA:1491856] Cecil Shorts III.

A closer look at how the Texans added Cecil Shorts III and Nate Washington indicates how the team is looking to address the wide receiver position. Both Shorts and Washington add speed to a position that has really needed it for some time now.

Also both players, despite having played with subpar quarterback performances for the past seasons with their previous teams, bring something to the table that could instantly upgrade the wide receiver group from 2014.

A look at the 2014 stats of the current wide receivers for the Texans.

table.tableizer-table { border: 1px solid #CCC; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; } .tableizer-table td { padding: 4px; margin: 3px; border: 1px solid #ccc; } .tableizer-table th { background-color: #104E8B; color: #FFF; font-weight: bold; } Name Targets Receptions Yards TDs YDS/Rec YAC YAC/REC Drops Cecil Shorts 102 53 557 1 10.5 271 5.1 7 Nate Washington 71 40 647 2 15.9 139 3.5 4 DeAndre Hopkins 120 76 1210 6 15.9 390 5.1 3 Damaris Johnson 46 31 331 1 10.7 182 5.9 6 Keshanwn Martin 12 6 78 0 13 57 9.5 0 DeVier Posey 1 1 30 0 30 3 3 0

The Slot Position

The Texans value the slot position and the offense needs to find a serious upgrade to that position for the 2015 season.

table.tableizer-table { border: 1px solid #CCC; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; } .tableizer-table td { padding: 4px; margin: 3px; border: 1px solid #ccc; } .tableizer-table th { background-color: #104E8B; color: #FFF; font-weight: bold; } NameRoutes on OutsideTargetsRoutes at SlotTargetsReceptionsYardsTDs DeAndre Hopkins53512016233263633 Damaris Johnson3384629037232911 Keshanwn Martin104124843270 DeVier Posey30110010

Nate Washington Outside vs. Inside Breakdown

table.tableizer-table { border: 1px solid #CCC; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; } .tableizer-table td { padding: 4px; margin: 3px; border: 1px solid #ccc; } .tableizer-table th { background-color: #104E8B; color: #FFF; font-weight: bold; } YearRoutes on OutsideTargetsRoutes at SlotTargetsReceptionsYardsTDs 20145157187127970 201355810113320141910 20125418633245253782 201156011836083527255 2010483884063711 2009484894283511 20084547517027132101 2007372531651261281

Cecil Shorts Outside vs. Inside Breakdown

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A look at the numbers are a bit surprising with Washington have more experience at the slot position throughout his career. Shorts has had some work in the slot but not enough to look at him as the primary option for the position. Damaris Johnson is the only player from 2015 with any real looks from the slot, but he was underwhelming at the position.

If anything both Washington and Shorts offer the Texans flexibility, as the team heads into the draft, to finding a true “X” wide receiver who can play on the outside to stretch the field, or look for a true slot wide receiver with the ability to play on the outside if needed.

The Deep Ball (20+ yard targets)

table.tableizer-table { border: 1px solid #CCC; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; } .tableizer-table td { padding: 4px; margin: 3px; border: 1px solid #ccc; } .tableizer-table th { background-color: #104E8B; color: #FFF; font-weight: bold; } NameTotal TargetsDeep TargetsReceptionsDropsYardsCatchableTDs DeAndre Hopkins12027120458124 Damaris Johnson464208421 Keshanwn Martin12100000 DeVier Posey11103010

Nate Washington Deep Ball Stats

table.tableizer-table { border: 1px solid #CCC; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; } .tableizer-table td { padding: 4px; margin: 3px; border: 1px solid #ccc; } .tableizer-table th { background-color: #104E8B; color: #FFF; font-weight: bold; } YearTotal TargetsDeep TargetsReceptionsDropsYardsCatchableTDs 201471187124982 2013101218131892 2012101218131892 201111825101343113 20108832100355103 200989245215771 200875194121353 200753188122294

Cecil Shorts Deep Ball Stats

table.tableizer-table { border: 1px solid #CCC; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; } .tableizer-table td { padding: 4px; margin: 3px; border: 1px solid #ccc; } .tableizer-table th { background-color: #104E8B; color: #FFF; font-weight: bold; } YearTotal TargetsDeep TargetsReceptionsDropsYardsCatchableTDs 201410214205320 201311720419251 2012101187224693 2011124102510

The lack of a threat running vertically slowed the Texans offense in 2014, and the only real deep threat was DeAndre Hopkins who had 27 deep targets (20+ yards). There was not enough speed around to open the field to open more throws underneath.

Watching Washington play in the AFC South over the years with the Tennessee Titans, going deep is a staple of his game. Washington, since 2007, has had 20% or more of his targets on deep passes of 20+ yards. He has to prove he can make the team, but Washington offers an outside threat to stretch the field and open underneath routes for Hopkins and the slot wide receiver.

Shorts also offers some deep threat capabilities and has averaged over 17% of his targets over 20 plus yards over the past three season with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Having both Washington and Shorts give the defense something to think about in the vertical game and both have the track record that back that up.

How will Shorts and Washington Be Used?

Things we do know with these two veterans.

Washington is an outside player with veteran experience and has proven he can put up numbers when given a chance. Has been a reliable starter for the Titans appearing in all 96 games since 2009 and 144 straight games since 2006. Adding in his ability to play outside and the slot position, Washington still have some speed to go along with his age. Averaging 16.2 yards a reception in 2014, he achieved his second best year in that statistical category for his career.

As for Shorts, his ability is still unknown with the way the Jaguars used him over his career. He was slowly phased out with the new coaching regime after a breakout season in 2012 that saw him average 17.8 yards a reception and seven touchdowns. Injuries and drops are Shorts biggest enemies and getting him back on the field for a complete season will be a task by itself, but there is still room for the 27 year old wide receiver to grow.

What Does This All Mean?

The Texans have flexibility moving forward heading into the NFL draft to continue to add talent to the wide receiver depth chart. As it looks now, Hopkins, Shorts III, Posey and Washington are the top four wide receivers on the depth chart. With that said, nothing is set in stone for Posey or Washington, who will have to earn their jobs during camp. Add in Keshawn Martin, Damaris Johnson, Alan Bonner, Travis Labhart, Jace Davis, and Uzoma Nwachukwu, the draft could shake up this group even further.

The Texans are not pigeonholed on what type of wide receiver they will need to draft, the offseason signings allowing them to stay true to their draft board. One thing is for sure and that is the Texans are building a roster first and adding pieces heading towards the season.

The Texans could take the field tomorrow with Hopkins, Shorts III and Washington as their starting wide receivers, but there is little doubt the team will be looking for one, maybe two, rookies to add to the position group.