The New York Giants made a few moves to upgrade the weapons around quarterback Daniel Jones this offseason. One of the moves that they made was signing wide receiver Parris Campbell away from the Indianapolis Colts in free agency.
The Giants and Campbell agreed to a one-year, $4.7 million deal, which many are considering a steal for Big Blue. The Ohio State product is coming off the best season of his career and it is a bit surprising that he didn’t find a multi-year deal in what was an underwhelming wide receiver free agent class.
Campbell appeared in all 17 games for the Colts last season, catching 63 passes for 623 yards and three touchdowns. He will bring some dynamic playmaking and athleticism to a Giants offense that was at times plodding during the 2022 season.
He will undoubtedly make his biggest impact as a pass catcher, but the Giants could have plans to move him around the formation. With so many capable slot receivers on the roster, head coach Brian Daboll and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka have experimented with Campbell working out of the backfield as a running back.
The absence of star running back Saquon Barkley likely played a part in Campbell getting some reps in the backfield. It would be a nice wrinkle for the Giants to add to their offense to keep defenses off balance and it is something that Campbell is open to doing.
“I did it some in Indy,” Campbell said, via the New York Daily News. “But it’s really my high school and my college background. It’s not new to me. It’s something I like to do because they’re using me in different ways. I feel like that’s something that I’m good at, too. Getting some reps back there is good.” (H/T ProFootballTalk)
Campbell has 11 rushing attempts in his NFL career, compiling 108 yards and five first downs. If Barkley remains sidelined, Daboll and Kafka are going to have to get creative in figuring out ways to replace that production, and deploying Campbell as a hybrid weapon would certainly be an intriguing strategy.
You want to get the ball into the hands of your playmakers as often as possible. Using Campbell at running back would help accomplish that while also getting more weapons, such as Sterling Shepard, Jamison Crowder and rookie Jalin Hyatt, onto the field alongside Darius Slayton, Isaiah Hodgins and new tight end Darren Waller.
