kevin norwood.jpg

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Kevin Norwood tries to get away from St. Louis Rams cornerback Janoris Jenkins on a 31-yard pass reception during the second half of an NFL game on Dec. 28, 2014, in Seattle.

(AP Photo)

Wide receiver Kevin Norwood has made a quick return to the NFL after being waived by the Carolina Panthers on Friday. The San Diego Chargers announced on Tuesday that they signed the former Alabama standout for their practice squad.

The Panthers waived Norwood off their reserve/injured list, where he had spent the first four weeks of the season. Norwood caught eight passes for 59 yards and a touchdown during the preseason. But on his eighth catch, he suffered a hip pointer in Carolina's final preseason game on Sept. 1.

Norwood is fully healthy now, the Chargers said in a press release.

Norwood joined the NFL as a fourth-round pick of the Seattle Seahawks in the 2014 draft. He played in nine games, with two starts, and caught nine passes for 102 yards as a rookie. The Seahawks lost to the New England Patriots 28-24 in Super Bowl XLIX to cap the NFL's 2014 season.

Carolina traded a seventh-round draft pick to Seattle on Aug. 31, 2015, after the Panthers' top pass-catcher from the 2014 season, Kelvin Benjamin, went down with a season-ending injury in training camp.

Norwood played in one game for Carolina last season and didn't catch a pass. The Panthers lost to the Denver Broncos 24-10 in Super Bowl 50 to cap the NFL's 2015 season.

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Norwood joins two other wide receivers on the Chargers' 10-player practice squad. Practice squad players do everything that players on the active squad do, except play in games. The other practice-squad wide receivers are Isaiah Burse of Fresno State and Dom Williams of Washington State.

San Diego has only four wide receivers on its active roster - Travis Benjamin, Dontrelle Inman, Griff Whalen and Tyrell Williams.

The Chargers already have put three wide receivers on the reserve/injured list this season, including their best one - Keenan Allen. Javontee Herndon and Stevie Johnson also are on injured reserve.