When the Philadelphia Eagles decided to release Parris Campbell in the final trim down to 53, many fans assumed that the former OSU product would stick around with his former Indianapolis Colts offensive coordinator, Nick Sirianni.
Ultimately, that happened, but did you know it almost didn’t? It’s true; Parris told reporters that he initially rejected the Eagles’ practice squad offer but circled back once it became clear he wasn’t going to earn a 53-man roster offer after missing much of the preseason.
Discussing the prospects of bringing back Campbell, who made his Eagles debut in Week 3, Sirianni told reports that his relationship with the former second-round pick is a big reason why he ended up sticking around, as their shared trust helped to ease a pretty tough transition for the former high-profile wide receiver.
“I love [WR] Parris [Campbell]. I’ve known him for a long time. Obviously had a relationship with him before the Philadelphia Eagles and got close with him there [at the Colts]. Again, everything we do is about relationships, right? And so, as his offensive coordinator and somebody that specializes in wide receivers, I got to be able to coach him and get to know him,” Sirianni told reporters.
“One thing I said – I won’t obviously share conversations I have with these guys – but one thing I will share that I said to him is, ‘We’re going to need you, man. We’re going to need you to make some plays. We’re going to need you – I know this isn’t how you wanted it to go, but we’re going to need you for this journey that we’re going on. We’ve got faith in you, and it’s just the way the numbers kind of worked out.’ And I’m sure glad that he decided he’d changed his mind. But I think that shows the importance of relationships. A lot that we discuss probably is more about the Xs and Os and not about the relationships.”
Was it challenging for Campbell to swallow his pride and spend some time in the practice squad? Most certainly so, but after the Eagles made a good impression over the summer, he stuck around and could ultimately play a big role for Philadelphia in Week 4 down DeVonta Smith, Britain Covey, and (potentially) AJ Brown, too.
Parris Campbell weighs in on his near exit from the Eagles
What, you may wonder, did Campbell have to say on the subject of that interview in question? Well, he effectively let it be known that he initially rejected a spot on the practice squad, as he felt he could do better elsewhere.
“I immediately was like, no. That’s not me. That’s not for me. I kind of shut the door on it. I talked to my agent, and he was kind of like, ‘Do you want to do practice squad?’ I just shut the door on it,” Campbell explained via NBC Sports Philadelphia.
“About a couple hours went by, and I was sitting there, thinking about what would be next, if I would get a call from another team, or if it was the end of the road. I started praying, and I said, ‘If I’m meant to be here in Philly, I’ll open that door back up.'”
How did it feel for Campbell to evaluate his position inside the NFL? Obviously not break but in the end, he moved past it and is happy with the decision.
“I think as players, how much work we put into this, that creates some pride,” Campbell said. “I think my pride got in the way of things. And then the injury that I had in the middle of camp was a reason. But that’s things that I can’t control. It was just a culmination of both of those things. It was things that I couldn’t control, so that was the hardest thing for me, just knowing that I didn’t have any control over it. But, like I said, pride was in the way too.”
