Bills' WR Justin Shorter becoming roster long shot in fierce competition

The Buffalo Bills have multiple notable names competing for a wide receiver spot, and a 2023 fifth-round pick may be on the outside looking in.

Bills receiver Justin Shorter catches a quick pass during practice. / Jamie Germano/Democrat and Chronicle /

Justin Shorter, remember him? It's understandable if you don't.

The Buffalo Bills used a fifth-round selection to draft the once promising pass-catching playmaker in 2023, but Shorter never saw the field.

Facing an uphill battle from the start of training camp with the WR1-through-WR4 spots already spoken for, Shorter fought his way to a brief stay on the Bills' initial 53-man roster after contributing as a receiver and special teamer during preseason game action. With the rookie having tweaked his hamstring, Buffalo, after setting its initial 53, opened up a roster spot by moving Shorter to Injured Reserve on August 30 and he remained there all season.

The Bills opened Shorter's 21-day practice window on December 13, making him eligible to be taken off IR, but they never proceeded to activate him prior to the deadline. Although Andy Isabella offers return ability, it's telling that the Bills chose to activate the Arizona Cardinals cast-off as opposed to giving Shorter an opportunity.

Moving on from a fifth-round draft pick after one year isn't common practice in the NFL, but it certainly doesn't seem out of the realm of possibility in this situation.

Harming Shorter's chances, the Bills are setting up for a fierce roster battle at the wide receiver position. Barring injury, Khalil Shakir, second-round rookie Keon Coleman along with free-agent additions Curtis Samuel and Mack Hollins seem like locks to make the cut. Further tightening the situation at the bottom of the depth chart, two-time Super Bowl champion Marquez Valdes-Scantling has the inside track on the WR5 spot.

The Bills' social media staff recently shared a produced video with the caption "We have some dawgs in the WR room." The social media post features highlights of five Buffalo receivers — Samuel, Coleman, Hollins, Shakir and Valdes-Scantling. While the social media staff likely isn't privy to all personnel decisions, their posts are presumably more intentional than not.

We have some dawgs in the WR room. 😤#GoBills | #BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/IgDMIDTHW7

— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) June 19, 2024

With the Bills likely to roster six receivers at most, there appears to be only one vacancy available. For Shorter to claim that spot, he'll have to beat out veteran Chase Claypool, who significantly boosted his stock during OTAs, and others such as Isabella and KJ Hamler, both of whom are former second-round draft talents.

RELATED: Bills' Receiver lands Top 10 rookie status from Fantasy Football Analyst

The players have yet to put on their pads, and a lot can happen over the course of training camp, but Shorter is becoming more of a roster long shot.

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