Colts: Offense shouldn’t be waiting around for Parris Campbell return

Based on the latest update, the Colts shouldn’t be waiting around for WR Parris Campbell to return from injury this season.

The Indianapolis Colts have embraced the next-man-up philosophy for seemingly the entire season as they’ve watched several key players go down with serious injuries. For the sake of time, we’re not going to run through the entire laundry list, but any fan knows just how unlucky the team has been on the injury front.

We hate to bring down the mood after a huge win over Tennessee on Thursday night, but head coach Frank Reich finally provided an update on wide receiver Parris Campbell, who’s spent the last two months on injured reserve recovering from a torn MCL and PCL he suffered in Week 2 against Minnesota.

According to Reich, it’s still too early to tell if Campbell will play again this season, which means that the offense can’t just sit around waiting for him to provide a needed injection of dynamism and speed in the slot.

"“At this point, I think it’s too early to tell that. I know he’s working really hard,”Reich told reporters on Friday. “So if there is a chance, I know that Parris (Campbell) is the kind of guy that will do everything possible to give himself that chance. But I think it’s still too early to tell that.”"

Fans in Indianapolis have been waiting eight weeks for an update on Campbell’s recovery, and the 58-year-old HC didn’t exactly provide much insight into that situation here. If we had to guess, we’d say that Reich is preparing to be without the 2019 second-round pick for the remainder of the campaign, and that’s undoubtedly the right call.

Campbell’s explosiveness would be a welcomed addition to the Colts’ offense that has largely struggled in that department prior to Thursday night. Rookie wideout Michael Pittman Jr. finally enjoyed a breakout game, leading the team with seven catches for 107 yards, and running back Nyheim Hines proved once again that he should be a focal point of the offense, tallying 115 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns.

What we’re trying to say is that Indianapolis has plenty of talent on that side of the ball to get by without Campbell should he be sidelined for the rest of the season. If he manages to return, then great, but the Colts should definitely be preparing for the worst-case scenario. After all, they’ve played more than 80% of their games without him so far in 2020.

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