Panthers Sign WR Shelton Gibson to Practice Squad

Carolina adds to their options at receiver with former Eagle

Monday evening, the Carolina Panthers announced that wide receiver Shelton Gibson signed to the team's practice squad.

Gibson, 25, was drafted in the 5th round of the 2017 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles and played in 20 career games with the team hauling in only three receptions for 59 yards. He won a Super Bowl with Philadelphia during his rookie year alongside Rasul Douglas, who has now become a surprising star for the Panthers secondary. The two also played together at West Virginia from 2015-16. During that 2016 season, Douglas led the nation with eight interceptions and Gibson was 4th in the country in yards per reception (22.1).

Since the Panthers only have five wide receivers on the active roster, Gibson could be someone that could eventually be activated if all goes well. 

Gibson would be yet another deep threat the Panthers could utilize but he still has a lot to prove in terms of catching the ball over the middle of the field and on underneath routes. He has blazing speed, which probably attributed to his 22.6 yards per reception at the college level, but he has to fine-tune some other areas of his game before he can be a reliable 5th or 6th option at receiver.

In his two years as a starter at West Virginia, he totaled 17 touchdowns on 80 receptions - meaning he scored every 4.7 times he recorded a catch. Although he hasn't found much success yet in the NFL, this is a quality signing for the Panthers' practice squad and gives them another option in the return game if needed.

You can follow us for future coverage by clicking "Follow" on the top righthand corner of the page. Also, be sure to like us on Facebook & Twitter:

Facebook - @PanthersOnSI

Twitter - @SI_Panthers and Schuyler Callihan at @Callihan_.