PHILADELPHIA -- Parris Campbell was hoping for a fresh start with the New York Giants after a rough beginning to his career with the Indianapolis Colts. The former second-round pick was hoping to find his footing in a new environment, searching for a spark he could play in this league.
Instead, Campbell experienced the opposite effect. The Giants had enough of Campbell after 12 games, ruling him a surprise inactive for the team's Week 14 game against the Green Bay Packers. Campbell was listed on the injury report that week with a knee injury, yet was a surprise inactive prior to the game.
The decision to make Campbell inactive ate him up inside.
"I thought about life after football," Campbell said after Eagles training camp practice Saturday. "I thought about if the game was taken away from me completely. I thought about, man, when I did get another opportunity what I'm going to do with it? It created a lot of scenarios in my head."
Athletes deal with failure in their own ways. Campbell took an approach that sensed he was on his way out of the NFL.
"I just just kind of in a rut. I was in a rut a little bit," Campbell said. "I don't know if you have ever heard of emotional eating? I was just eating to just like, you know what I'm saying, to wash away the pain. I found myself gaining some weight that I knew I shouldn't have gained."
Campbell didn't play the last five games of last season, knowing his future with the Giants was sealed. In the seven games prior, Campbell had four catches for 19 yards on arguably the worst wide receiver group in football. The Giants had no choice but to move on from Campbell towards the end of a lost season.
Four of those seven games Campbell didn't even record a catch.
"I was in that rut when the season ended, Campbell said. "I didn't know what was going to come. I kinda plateaued, so I didn't know what to expect in the offseason, in free agency...My mind was kinda flustered because I was scared. I didn't know if this was it. I didn't know what would come next.
"So when the Eagles called, I was like, all right. I got another shot. I got another opportunity...If you got an opportunity, you got hope."
The Eagles signed Campbell to a one-year contract this spring, giving him one more chance to salvage his NFL career. There's an open position available at the third wide receiver spot, as Campbell is competing with John Ross (another veteran trying to resurrect his career), Britain Covey, and rookies Johnny Wilson and Ainias Smith.
Campbell wants to get back to that player that had a career-high 63 catches for 623 yards just two years ago (his final season with the Indianapolis Colts). Between all the adversity Campbell has experienced since entering the NFL in 2019, he's got a chip on his shoulder the size of New York.
"I felt like coming off my fourth year, I was coming off my best season thus far in the NFL," Campbell said. "I just felt like things didn't connect last year. You know, every place and every person is not a great fit. It was what it was at the end of the day, but I carry that chip on my shoulder.
"I worked my tail off this offseason. It's the same as every offseason, but I had a little bit different motivation, just because of last year."
