Parris Campbell vies for the Eagles’ speedster WR role and sees Saquon Barkley with this O-line as ‘scary’

Before the start of free agency, and long before Parris Campbell garnered interest from prospective teams, his 5-year-old son, Kai, implored his father to sign with his favorite club.

Not with the Indianapolis Colts, the team that selected Campbell in the second round, No. 59 overall, in the 2019 draft out of Ohio State. Not with the New York Giants, the wide receiver’s team for the 2023 season. Rather, Kai requested that Campbell sign a deal with the Eagles, his favorite team dating back to Super Bowl LVII.

At the end of the 2022 season, Campbell and his wife, Taylor, allowed their son to stay up late and watch his first Super Bowl, between the Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs. They made it a marquee event for any child, complete with pizza, candy, and popcorn. For whatever reason, whether he was enthralled by the Eagles’ mascot, Swoop, or their midnight green-and-white color combination, Kai became a fan of the team.

Just over a year later, Campbell FaceTimed his son from the EXOS training facility in Phoenix to share that he signed a one-year deal with the Eagles. Taylor had packed a box with Eagles-branded shirts, hats, and gloves for Kai to open back at their home in Indianapolis while Campbell revealed the news.

“He’s jumping around, running around the house,” Campbell told The Inquirer on Saturday at a promotional event for LEGOLAND New York and its Pros of Play Day. “It was really cool to see. ‘Cause obviously, he was in Indy and then we went to New York. Now I’m going to Philly. So it’s hard on kids. Any time he can be that excited about it, it makes it much easier on me, you know what I mean? It’s exciting. I’m happy that he’s happy and just excited for what’s to come.”

Campbell’s decision to sign with the Eagles transcends his son’s fandom. The 6-foot-1, 205-pound receiver felt wanted by the Eagles throughout the free-agent process, a welcome change after he struggled to latch on to a role with the Giants last season.

» READ MORE: Eagles’ Nick Sirianni remains tight-lipped on what the offense will look like with his influence and Kellen Moore’s

The Eagles were one of the first teams to reach out to Campbell’s camp, and while he didn’t agree to terms until a week after the official start of free agency, they remained in touch throughout that week and continued to pursue him. That feeling of being wanted, coupled with his familiarity with Nick Sirianni — the Colts’ offensive coordinator when Campbell was a rookie — led to his signing in Philadelphia.

“He knows how to utilize me as a player,” Campbell said. “He knows what my skills are. And then there’s more people in the building, too, that I’m familiar with. [Passing game coordinator] Kevin Patullo. J-Mike [Jason Michael], the tight ends coach.

“That’s one thing about this league, you never want to burn bridges. You always want to make great relationships. I have great relationships with those guys. It will be fun to reconnect, but it’s also welcoming and warming to feel wanted in that building.”

Come training camp, Campbell will have an opportunity to compete for the No. 3 receiver gig behind top wideouts A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. Campbell, who turns 27 in July, views himself as a prospective complement to Brown and Smith as a “speedster” who can stretch the field and open up opportunities for his teammates underneath. During his final season with the Colts in 2022, Campbell reached a top speed of 22.11 mph on a 26-yard rush in Week 18, which made him the fastest ballcarrier on a single play that season according to Next Gen Stats.

» READ MORE: Eagles roster: Saquon Barkley’s fit, right guard uncertainty stand out as major questions before draft

That year, Campbell had the best season of his career, totaling 623 yards and three touchdowns on 63 receptions. However, he couldn’t replicate that same success with the Giants, playing in just 12 games and finishing the season with 20 receptions for 104 yards. After he missed Week 14 with a knee injury, Campbell was a healthy scratch for the rest of the year.

“At the end of the day, sometimes in this league, players and teams aren’t always going to be a perfect match,” Campbell said. “That’s the honest-to-God truth. It’s not always going to go hand-in-hand. Now I’m hoping that the case is different with Philly for me this year.”

Campbell won’t be the only player joining the Eagles offense for 2024 after spending time with the Giants. Star running back Saquon Barkley figures to play a substantial role in the revamped offense under new coordinator Kellen Moore.

The receiver had a front-row seat to Barkley’s final season in his six-year career with the Giants. With quarterback Jalen Hurts leading the offense and the Eagles’ offensive line clearing rushing lanes, Campbell said that Barkley is capable of continuing to ascend in Philadelphia.

“I think he’s going to show people why he’s the best running back in the league,” Campbell said. “I know there’s a bunch of debate between him and Christian McCaffrey. And don’t get me wrong, Christian McCaffrey’s by far one of the best running backs in the league. But being able to see Saquon up close and personal, being in the same locker room, on the same team, man, he’s a different guy when he’s on that field, honestly. And running behind that offensive line that we have, I think it’s going to be pretty scary for defenses.

“You pair that with Jalen and the things he can do with his feet, just as far as extending plays, getting outside the pocket, I’m sure there will be some type of read-option game that we go on and RPO stuff that’ll happen. So just the possibilities of it are endless.”

» READ MORE: Eagles beat reporters weigh in on the Saquon Barkley signing

Campbell chalks last year up as a learning experience — “It’s a business,” he said. Now, with last season behind him and Eagles training camp just a few months away, Kai isn’t the only member of the family excited for this next chapter.

“Being able to go in and really carve out a role for myself, getting a fair shake and just kind of going from there, I’ll take my chances any day of the week,” Campbell said. “I’m confident in the player that I am.”