Former Purdue Defensive Tackle Kawann Short Cleared for Football Activity
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Kawann Short, a former Purdue defensive tackle, was cleared for football activity after undergoing shoulder surgery last season. He is currently a free agent but has already begun speaking with teams.
Former Panthers’ two-time Pro Bowl DT Kawann Short, who underwent shoulder surgery last season, now has been cleared for football activity and already is in discussions with a handful of teams.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 20, 2021
Short played for the Boilermakers' football program between 2009 and 2012. During his collegiate career, he recorded 186 tackles, 49 for loss, 19.5 sacks, two interceptions and two forced fumbles.
In his final two years at Purdue, short was twice named a first-team All-Big Ten selection and was recognized as a second-team All-American as a senior. He managed to earn second-team All-Big Ten Honors as a sophomore in 2010.
Short's college accolades led him to be selected in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft by the Carolina Panthers. He will enter his ninth season in the NFL and is searching for just his second team after spending the previous eight years in Carolina.
Short is a two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle who has tallied 280 tackles, 59 tackles for loss and nine forced fumbles in 99 games. He has also recorded 12 pass deflections at the line of scrimmage and six fumble recoveries.
However, he's been placed on injured reserve twice in the last two seasons and has only appeared in five games during that span. Short, who tore his rotator cuff in 2019 and had season-ending shoulder surgery in 2020, was released back in February.
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D.J. Fezler is a staff writer for BoilermakersCountry.com. Hailing from The Region, he is from Cedar Lake in Northwest Indiana and has spent the last two years covering Purdue football and basketball.