Parris Campbell Emerges, Now Excel Again

Indianapolis Colts second-year wide receiver Parris Campbell had an encouraging opener with six receptions for a team-high 71 yards. After a rookie season derailed by three surgeries, the 2019 second-round pick can prove he’s the real deal by upping his game more.

In a humbling season opener, the Indianapolis Colts player who was humbled more than anybody as a rookie delivered a promising indication of his potential as an NFL playmaker.

Now wide receiver Parris Campbell needs to do it again on Sunday.

The second-year burner from Ohio State caught a career-best six passes for a team-high 71 yards and added a 9-yard rush in the Colts’ 27-20 loss at Jacksonville. Four catches gained first downs, as did the end around. Perhaps of equal importance, Campbell’s 61 snaps were two more than No. 1 T.Y. Hilton, and more than any other wide receiver or tight end.

This is what the Colts expected to see last season, when the second-round selection who ran 4.31-second, 40-yard dash at the NFL Pro Scouting Combine couldn’t stay on the field. But his NFL debut was painful from the start.

His body betrayed with a hamstring injury that kept him out of all but one preseason game. He would undergo surgeries for a sports hernia, fractured hand, then fractured foot. The latter ended his rookie year in Week 14. Campbell appeared in just seven games with 18 receptions for 127 yards and one touchdown.

If he can provide another solid effort in Sunday’s home opener, when the Colts (0-1) host the Minnesota Vikings (0-1) at Lucas Oil Stadium, his confidence will continue to climb as a breakthrough player. And the Vikings secondary is young and missing a starting cornerback.

“I think it was just some reassurance that all the hard work that I put in in the offseason, all the hard work I put in throughout training camp, is just starting to pay off,” Campbell said on Tuesday. “I just felt confident out there. I felt like myself again out there.”

He was so pumped up after gaining a first down on that end around and taking a nasty sideline shot from Jaguars linebacker Myles Jack, Campbell jumped up and flexed his biceps at the tackler. His show of strength, yet another encouraging indication that his body is sound, resulted in a 15-yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct.

He lamented getting flagged for the foolishness — the mind and body must be one — and head coach Frank Reich reiterated the obvious about the importance of Campbell not losing his head in the heat of the moment.

But Reich also said, “I love the fact that Parris has that kind of juice and that kind of toughness.”

The coach is confident Campbell will learn from it. And Reich is equally confident Campbell will raise his game.

“I think there is even more in there,” the coach said. “In fact, I think there is a lot more in there. I’m really excited about Parris. I have been from day one. He’s very versatile. He’s strong. He’s fast. He’s smart. He’s disciplined. He’s everything we want. He’s the kind of guy we want on our team. I just think he’s still young and growing. You can see his speed and explosiveness out there. He knows how to set up routes. I think he’ll continue to develop and hopefully we can continue to develop his role in our offense.”

Quarterback Philip Rivers has taken an immediate liking to finding No. 15 on crossing routes and quick-hit throws. The 17th-year passer completed 17 passes to running backs, so the short-range throws are key. But Campbell has the speed to spread the field. He can do more than just move the chains.

“I always felt like he was a fourth, fifth-year guy,” Rivers said. “I don’t know why, and then you realize it’s his second year and his first year, he had so many injuries and didn’t play a ton.”

The Colts desperately need pass-catching options, especially on Sunday, when two-time Pro Bowl tight end Jack Doyle will be sidelined with ankle and knee injuries suffered in the opener.

In recent years, the team relied predominantly on Hilton, a four-time Pro Bowl star and one of the NFL’s best deep threats. But Hilton’s body has betrayed him in the past two years and he missed six games with a calf injury last season, which led to the lowest numbers of his eight-year career.

A healthy Hilton looked rusty in the opener. He dropped the last two passes that Rivers threw when the Colts were driving and trying to tie the game.

If Campbell’s stock continues to rise, expect him to see the ball when the game is on the line. And if he’s capable of staying healthy and taking that next step of becoming a reliable playmaker, the Colts should benefit dramatically.

But again, as last year reminds, Campbell has to say healthy.

“The ceiling is so high for him,” Rivers said. “The sky is the limit.”

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(Phillip B. Wilson has covered the Indianapolis Colts for more than two decades and authored the 2013 book 100 Things Colts Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die. He’s on Twitter @pwilson24, on Facebook at @allcoltswithphilb and @100thingscoltsfans, and his email is phillipbwilson24@yahoo.com.)