SAN DIEGO -- Receiver Cecil Shorts knows the familiar feeling, and he didn’t like it.
Shorts tried to explode off the line of scrimmage in the third quarter of the Jacksonville Jaguars' 33-14 loss to the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium but he felt the tug in his left hamstring. He stayed on the field for one more play, which turned out to be an interception, but did not return.
Shorts will be evaluated on Monday. So will cornerback Dwayne Gratz, who suffered a concussion against the Chargers. They were the only players listed as being injured during the game.
Shorts’ history with hamstring injuries would suggest he could be out for a while. He left practice during the first day of training camp with what he said was tightness in his right hamstring but ended up missing the next 23 days.
He felt tightness in his left hamstring three days before the season opener and missed the first two games, which brings the total number of games he has missed because of injury since being drafted in 2011 to 13. He has finished the last two seasons on injured reserve.
If he misses significant time with this latest injury, it would rob the offense of its most experienced receiver. The loss would be mitigated somewhat by the return of second-year player Ace Sanders, who was suspended for the first four games for violating the NFL’s substance-abuse policy.
Shorts has just seven catches for 60 yards in less than seven quarters.
Gratz was injured while tackling receiver Keenan Allen and stayed on the ground for several moments. Trainers eventually got him into a sitting position and then helped him walk off the field. Second-year player Demetrius McCray replaced Gratz.
Coach Gus Bradley’s Monday news conference is scheduled for 3 p.m. EST and he’ll have updates then.
