In this week's Midweek Mailbag, we tackle Jayden Gibson's injury, Jovantae Barnes' potential this season, project where Adepoju Adebawore will land in the rotation at defensive end and more.

Thanks to everyone who submitted questions. Let's get to it.

(Editor's note: Gibson's injury has not been officially confirmed by the team as of Thursday afternoon).

Before I dive too deeply into the impact on the field, I’d be remiss if I didn’t express my disappointment for Gibson. He’s one of the most genuine, honest players I’ve ever covered and he's a hard kid not to root for. In my forthcoming preseason predictions column, I was going to predict Gibson to finish in the top three in total snaps at WR and lead the team in receiving touchdowns. I guess that’s the way it goes sometimes.

Okay, let’s talk about what’ll happen on the field.

If this was still the Jeff Lebby regime, we’d know roughly what to expect. Lebby primarily utilized three-receiver sets, and those sets included Jalil Farooq, Andrel Anthony (until he went down and was replaced by Nic Anderson) and Drake Stoops. That often left Gibson as the odd man out. He played just 231 snaps, which ranked fifth among OU's wide receivers (he finished with 60 fewer snaps than Anthony, who missed more than half of the season). He didn’t play more than 25 snaps in any game during the regular season.

His numbers aren’t going to blow anybody away — 14 receptions, 378 yards, five touchdowns — but he clearly showed his potential, even in limited reps. If Lebby was still on board, the Sooners would likely just continue to lean on three-receiver sets primarily with Farooq, Anderson, Anthony and now Deion Burks in the Stoops role.

But things changed when Seth Littrell replaced Lebby. Gibson played a career-high 44 snaps in the Alamo Bowl. He was getting first-team reps during the spring, and that continued into the fall. All signs were pointing towards Gibson playing a significant role, even with the Sooners boasting one of the more talented and deep wide receiver groups in the SEC.

It’s clear Littrell liked what Gibson brought to the table. Anderson also brings size and length, but nobody presents a clear mismatch quite like Gibson (6-foot-5) on the perimeter. Plus, Gibson averaged nearly 27 yards per reception last season and was arguably OU’s biggest downfield threat.

Still, it’s hard to know exactly what role Gibson was going to play. Is Littrell’s system going to be built around RPOs and three-receiver sets, like Lebby’s? Or are there going to be more four and five-receiver sets? Had Littrell designed formations and plays built around featuring Gibson? There's still a lot of unknowns.

Basically, OU has two options. They can double down on their presumed top-four guys. Or, if they’re looking for someone who can replicate Gibson’s height, they could even turn to a young guy like Ivan Carreon (6-foot-6). Maybe they give some more snaps to JJ Hester (6-foot-4). Or maybe the staff gets creative and uses speedster Brenen Thompson to give the Sooners a downfield presence they would’ve gotten from Gibson.

My prediction? Anderson, Farooq, Anthony and Burks still get the significant bulk of the reps, with either Hester or Carreon getting a slight bump in playing time as options in five-receiver sets or to give one of the top options a breather.

The good news is that OU has the depth to withstand Gibson’s injury. But there’s no question that his injury is a blow to the depth and potential of the offense.

The simple answer is yes, Barnes certainly has a shot at the No. 2 spot.

It’s not hard to find an argument. Outside of Sawchuk, he’s been at OU longer than any running back on the roster. Despite last year’s struggles, he still has more of a proven track record at the collegiate level, too. If he’s healthy, there’s no reason for him not to have a chance for a real spot in the rotation. He's looked good so far in fall camp.

Also — and I’m not saying there should be a ton of stock put into this — but it seems noteworthy that Barnes was among the first eight players who were made available to the media in fall camp.

But that’s far from a guarantee. Kalib Hicks was one of the standout players in the spring. Taylor Tatum has made a huge impact since arriving in the summer. Sam Franklin had two great seasons at UT-Martin.

This is a battle that’ll rage over the next few weeks and very possibly into non-conference play. In terms of likelihood, I’d give the slight edge to Jovantae Barnes for the No. 2 spot.

Here’s Brent Venables’ full quote on Woodi Washington from last Saturday:

“His primary position’s at corner, and he’s done a nice job there. Then he’s always had the ability — we, actually, the last two years have worked him at multiple positions, but we haven’t quite had the depth at corner that we’re hoping that we have there this fall. But he’s got a really good skill set. He’s smart. He’s played a lot of football. He’s really tough, so he plays big, but corner’s his primary position.”

Translation: Washington’s going to play at corner.

Now, they did work him at a lot of positions this spring, particularly at cheetah. It’s very possible that Washington could move around a little this season depending on the formation. The Sooners do have more options in the secondary than they have the last couple of seasons. But when push comes to shove, Washington’s going to play corner.

I got a couple of questions about PJ Adebawore, so I’ll answer them here.

Yes, I reported during Monday’s open practice that Ethan Downs and R Mason Thomas were leading the individual drills, with Caiden Woullard and Trace Ford playing behind them. But it’s important to remember that it’s still early in camp, and individual drills aren’t always the best indication of how the depth chart will shake out.

My guess is that given their starting experience and proven production, Downs and Woullard will be the starters. But the Sooners are going to rotate A LOT. OU had five defensive ends log at least 175 snaps last season, and I’d expect we’ll see even more of a rotation this year.

Considering the depth, my bet is Miguel Chavis will opt to carve guys into specific roles. I think Thomas and Adebawore are your defensive ends on third downs and obvious passing situations, with the potential to grow into bigger roles. They are OU’s best pass rushers, and they should give opposing offenses fits when they’re on the field together.

PJ is still really young. Even if it doesn’t happen this year, there’s still no reason to believe he won’t be OU’s stalwart on the defensive line as soon as next season. Hell, maybe it will happen this year.

As far as Peyton Bowen, here's what Venables had to say when he was asked if he'll play a lot.

“Yeah. If he ain’t, who is?"

Bowen logged around 360 snaps last season. My preseason prediction is he'll play at least 600 in 2024 if he's healthy. While I do think he'll get some time at cheetah, I think he'll start next to Billy Bowman at free safety. I bet the Sooners will also get creative with lineups featuring the Bowman-Bowen-RSJ trio.