As Panthers battle injuries at receiver, Shi Smith shines as constant ‘bright spot’
Keeping up with the health of the Carolina Panthers’ receiving corps is a dizzying endeavor right now.
Robbie Anderson didn’t practice Tuesday. Neither did Terrace Marshall after making his anticipated return Monday. Brandon Zylstra has been out since last week. And DJ Moore, despite having a good pass-catching day on Tuesday, is less than a week removed from missing a few practices with a tweaked shoulder.
And yet, head coach Matt Rhule and offensive leaders found a lot of positive things to say about the receiving corps after practice Tuesday — and a lot of that positivity seemed to flow through one guy.
“Shi Smith, to me, is one of the true, true, true bright spots of this team,” Rhule told reporters on Tuesday. “I mean, you talk about a guy who’s made huge strides. In terms of playmakers on our offense, he’s up there at the top.”
For a team that is about to start its third different quarterback in Week 1 in as many years — for an offense that’s only seen its undeniable star and league-most-expensive running back play in 10 of the team’s past 33 games — battling attrition at receiver is probably cause for concern.
But for Smith, it has appeared to deliver opportunity.
As the Panthers’ sixth-round pick in the 2021 draft, Smith has received important reps in practice in the absence of some of the more veteran receivers. That means the former South Carolina Gamecock has taken kick-return reps, punt-return reps, reps at the slot and even on the outside.
Rhule told reporters that he’s looking forward to having his full receiver room back and healthy. Marshall, battling a tweaked hamstring, practiced Monday and had a bit of soreness Tuesday so he didn’t practice, Rhule said. Anderson suffered a lower-body strain, and Rhule said the team hopes to have Anderson back “by early next week.”
But the third-year head coach also didn’t shy away from singing Smith’s praises.
“I’m looking for some of those guys to come back,” Rhule said. “We don’t want to rush them. But I think Shi, he gives us a shot in the arm no matter who else is on the roster. I think if everyone is healthy, Shi is still one of our top guys out there.”
One veteran who has taken particular notice of Smith has been Rashard Higgins. The former Colorado State star, who spent his first six seasons in Cleveland — and the last three with new starting Carolina quarterback Baker Mayfield — before signing with the Panthers this offseason, said that he and Smith connected when they both arrived in Charlotte.
“Shi, that’s my dog,” the 27-year-old receiver said with a smile. “I had talked about guys who you hang around with when you first get here, and Shi has been one of those guys for me. He’s funny. He’s outgoing. I try to sit down with him and get him some vet experience. … He’s getting hot. He’s heating up. And that’s what we want out of him, because at the end of the day, we need playmakers, and he’s one of them.”
Running back Christian McCaffrey told reporters Tuesday that “Shi has grown a lot” since arriving in Carolina this summer.
“The sky’s the limit for him, in my opinion,” McCaffrey said. “He’s going to be as good as he wants to be. And I think that we’re going to keep pushing him along. He’s a guy who has so much skill and can be a serious weapon for us. But there’s another step I know he knows that he can take, so we’re urging him to get there.”
Smith, 23, had a total of six catches for 104 yards as a rookie. Three of those receptions and 86 of those receiving yards came in a blowout loss to Tampa Bay in December. But this preseason has been a bit different. In only two games, he has been targeted seven times and has earned three catches for 42 yards and has largely been healthy despite a minor setback with a rib injury earlier this summer.
And much to Rhule’s delight, he has been learning.
Among the guys Smith has been learning from is Andre Roberts. The receiver/returner who has been in the league since 2010 has been mentoring and challenging Smith, Rhule said.
And Roberts is a good person to learn from: After all, he’s carved out quite the career as a 5-foot-11, 195-pound receiver — something that Smith (5-10, 190) hopes to do, too.
“He teaches the young guys a lot of stuff,” Rhule said of Roberts, right after mentioning all of Roberts’ other gifts — among them being a “master ping-pong player” and a scratch golfer. “He’s really pouring into Shi. I think Shi’s coming a long way as a returner, and I think he’s still coming a long way as a receiver and coming a long way as a returner.”
So it’s true that the Panthers are bruised, and it’s concerning that the team’s top trio of receivers hasn’t practiced together in weeks due to injury.
But it’s also true that the receiving room has been a point of excitement this preseason, leaders of the team say.
“He’s not, to me, a down-the-line guy,” Rhule said of Smith. “He’s a guy fighting for a starting role on this team. A legitimate starter who can make plays.”
This story was originally published August 23, 2022 at 8:27 PM.
