Could WR Parris Campbell reunite with Mike Groh in New York?

The New York Giants need to find upgrades for their wide receiving corps. The Indianapolis Colts’ Parris Campbell, a 2019 second-round selection out of Ohio State, could be an option to compete at wide receiver for the Giants in 2023.

Last week, I wrote about wide receiver Ashton Dulin, Campbell’s teammate for four years, and how reuniting Dulin with Giants’ wide receiver coach Mike Groh makes practical sense. The same goes for Campbell, who is coming off his best season as a professional receiver.

The basics

Age: 26 in the 2023 season
Height: 6-foot | Weight: 208
Position: Wide Receiver
Experience: 4 seasons
2022 stats: 17 games | Targets: (85) | Receptions: (63) | Yards: (623) | Yards per Catch (9.9) | Touchdowns: (3) | Interceptions: (6 in his direction) | Catch Percentage: (74.1%) |

The skinny

Campbell was a higher-regarded prospect than Dulin coming into the 2019 NFL Draft, but injuries have plagued Campbell’s professional career. Campbell missed almost all of his rookie season with three separate injuries: an abdominal injury (three games), a fractured right hand (five games), and then a broken foot that effectively ended his season.

2020 wasn’t much kinder to Campbell, who suffered an MCL and PCL injury that ended his season in Week 2. He suffered a significant foot injury again in Week 7 of 2021 and did not return until the final week of the season. These injuries automatically eliminate the dependable portion of the Giants’ new mantra.

Still, the former Buckeye could have some unrealized potential. The injuries he sustained through his first three seasons significantly hampered his development, but that wasn’t the only thing working against him. Since he arrived in Indianapolis, Campbell has worked with a different quarterback each season.

There was no ability to establish a rapport. It can be argued that Campbell was at his best in 2022 with an older Matt Ryan throwing him the football. Campbell started heating up in Week 6 and that carried into Week 7, where he amassed 17 receptions on 20 targets for 127 yards and two touchdowns.

Unfortunately, Ryan was benched for rookie Sam Ehlinger in Week 8 and that fire dimmed until Week 10 when Ryan started again with Jeff Saturday as head coach. Campbell caught seven of nine targets for 76 yards and a touchdown in the upset win over the Raiders.

The Colts withered down the stretch of the season, and Campbell failed to record anything more than 52 yards in a game during the final six weeks. Campbell finished his first four injury-plagued years with 97 catches on 135 targets for 983 yards (10.1 yards per catch) and five touchdowns.

Campbell had rare athletic ability in college, and he’s dense at 200-plus pounds. His career has not gone as planned, which could result in a one-year prove-it deal as a free agent.

According to Spotrac.com, the average annual contract for Campbell is projected at $2.5 million. This would put Campbell in the vicinity of Tre’Quan Smith (Saints) and Josh Reynolds (Lions). High second-round picks typically make around $2.5 AAV, give or take.

That’s a reasonable number considering the injuries in Campbell’s past. Marquez Valdes-Scantling (Chiefs) and D.J. Chark (Lions) signed $10 million deals last offseason as free agents, and Zay Jones (Jaguars) signed an $8 million AAV deal. It would behoove Campbell to come to a team where there’s familiarity with Groh, and possible opportunity to be earned.

I don’t believe the Giants’ final answers at wide receiver lie in free agency. They should look at the draft on Day 1 or 2 to help bolster their receiving corps, but that does not mean veteran additions in free agency shouldn’t be explored. Campbell at a $2.5 million price tag is reasonable, but I’d prefer to retain Darius Slayton if all things were equal.