Shelton Gibson is turning things around in training camp.

Eagles wide receiver Shelton Gibson is finally turning things around after struggling all offseason.

The 2017 Philadelphia Eagles fifth-round draft pick Shelton Gibson has had quite the off-season. Just like any other rookie, he knew that it would be a tough adjustment from the college to the pros. Unfortunately, his progression was a lot slower than your average rookie. After the first week of preseason, Gibson is finally starting to get to where he needs to be.

At the beginning of OTA’s, Gibson struggled to do the most important part of his job. That being simply catching the ball. Day after day, he became more notorious for drops during practice. Most of his drops were during individual drills too. It made it hard for the quarterbacks to trust or to target him.

We’re not sure if the drops were caused by nerves of being a rookie or not, but either way, it’s concerning. It is never a good sign when the practice squad candidates and undrafted free agents are outplaying your fifth-round draft pick. As the value of receivers like Greg Ward and Bryce Treggs increased, Gibson knew it was time to put up or shut up.

Moving Forward…

The sky is the limit for Gibson’s potential. It was clear that the Eagles had plans to utilize him as a deep threat. So far he hasn’t been able to display his home run speed but it is obvious that they are taking baby steps with the rookie. There have been multiple reports coming out of camp the last few days that Gibson has had some strong practices. Now is the perfect time for the rookie to prove his worth as the second game of the preseason approaches.

Last week’s game against the Green Bay Packers wasn’t a very strong showing by Gibson. He had 2 catches for 12 yards. Although his stats were almost identical to five other receivers, the second-year veteran hopeful Treggs had a breakout night.

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Gibson may be back in the picture to make the Eagles final roster, but it won’t be able to happen if he doesn’t completely turn things around. After the Eagles traded Jordan Matthews, it opened up an extra spot on the roster for the most deserving receiver. While that can be a huge plus for Gibson who was left out of many final roster projections, he still has a lot of work to do. The transition from college to pro has been difficult for him, but he still has three weeks to show out.