Philadelphia Eagles: Unlike many summer stars, Shelton Gibson is a lock

After two monster preseason performances, it would appear Shelton Gibson has made the Philadelphia Eagles 53-man roster once more.

Yesterday, I wrote a piece about which wide receiver(s) would fill the last spot(s) on the Philadelphia Eagles roster considering the fact that Alshon Jeffery is still on the PUP list and may not be healthy for the start of the regular season.

At this point, I think it’s pretty safe to say Shelton Gibson is no longer fighting for a roster spot.

Shelton Gibson is now a roster lock.

More from Philadelphia Eagles

• 4 Eagles on the Bubble Who Have Clinched Their 53-Man Roster Spots
• Best Pennsylvania Sportsbook Promos: Win $650 GUARANTEED Bonus PLUS $100 off NFL Sunday Ticket
• 3 Punters the Eagles Must Target to Replace Arryn Siposs
• Cowboys Trey Lance Trade Proves How Screwed They Are With Dak Prescott
• Devon Allen Took Britain Covey’s Job on Eagles

I know what you’re thinking, we’ve seen this before, a young, previously unheralded receiver putting up incredible numbers over the summer only to fade into obscurity, but unlike Paul Turner and Rasheed Bailey, Gibson is already a Super Bowl champ.

That’s right, even though he was only targeted three times for five yards, Gibson spent the entire 2017 season on the Eagles active roster after being selected in the fifth round of the NFL Draft out of West Virginia, largely due to his potential as a flat-out secondary burning deep threat.

Potential he appears to be cashing-in on in a big way.

As one of the few receivers on the roster who isn’t hurt, Gibson has made the most of extended playing time over the first two preseason games, catching seven passes for 167 yards and two touchdowns as the team’s leader in yards from scrimmage.

But Gibson is doing a whole lot more than just hauling in 62-yard bombs (though to be fair, he’s doing that too).

In the Eagles Week 2 bout against the New England Patriots, Gibson logged the majority of the first team kick return reps and looked incredibly oppressive in the role. While it may not seem like a pressing need, the Eagles haven’t had a true threat at kick returner in quite a few years, maybe since Brian Westbrook, so adding a player like Gibson to complement Darren Sproles as a return man could be a major upgrade over the likes of the Chris Polks and Kenjon Barners of the world.

If he was just performing this well on special teams, both as return man, and as a very active gunner, I’d say he’s pulling away with a roster spot, especially with injuries to Markus Wheaton, Kamar Aiken, and now Bryce Treggs, but after two incredibly impressive consecutive performances as a receiver, at this point Shelton Gibson is a lock to make the Philadelphia Eagles final 53-man roster.