PHILADELPHIA — Before he signed a one-year deal with the Eagles this offseason, wide receiver Parris Campbell wasn’t sure if he would play in the NFL again.

Campbell was inactive for the last five games of the 2023 season. The New York Giants, who had one of the league’s worst wide receiver rooms last season, made him a healthy scratch.

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It was not the year he expected.

The year before, Campbell finished with a career-high 63 receptions for 623 yards and three touchdowns during his final season with the Indianapolis Colts.

He thought his career would take off last season because his confidence was restored after staying healthy in 2022. Campbell, the Colts’ 2019 second-round pick, only played 15 games in his first three seasons (2019-2021) due to injuries, including suffering a broken hand and foot, sprained knee ligaments and a sports hernia.

Campbell was ready to leave the difficult chapter of his NFL career behind in Indianapolis, but it continued with the Giants.

His future became more uncertain after getting benched.

“When I was inactive, man, I was thinking about so much stuff,” Campbell told reporters after Saturday’s practice. “I thought about life after football. I thought about if the game was taken away from me completely. I thought about, man, when I did get another opportunity what I’m going to do with it. So it created a lot of scenarios in my head, and I just got a different perspective for the game.”

That new perspective didn’t arrive until he signed with the Eagles. He was going through an “emotional rut” in New York, and he started to eat a lot.

“I don’t know if you have ever heard of emotional eating,” Campbell said. “I was just eating to just like, you know what I’m saying, to like wash away the pain. I found myself gaining some weight that I knew I shouldn’t have gained.”

Campbell changed his diet and worked out three times per day this offseason. He would lift weights, box and go on runs.

Now he’s got a new opportunity to flourish with the Eagles. Campbell, who is considered the front runner to become the No. 3 wide receiver, is competing against John Ross and two Day 3 rookies (Johnny Wilson and Ainias Smith), among other wide receivers, for that role.

If he plays well in training camp practices and the Eagles’ three preseason games, he should win that competition.

This past year has taught him so much, including that he shouldn’t take his next opportunity for granted. After joining the Eagles in March, Campbell’s confidence returned.

“There are so many people that play ball, so many people that want to be where I’m at,” Campbell said. “Whether I’m at the top of the totem pole or at the bottom of the totem pole, if you (are) here, you got an opportunity. It’s all about what you’re going to do with it, man. I say you got an opportunity, you got hope…. That opportunity, man, it breeds everything. (It breeds) that confidence. It breeds that work ethic.”

With his family’s help, Campbell overcame last year’s difficulties.

He moved to New Jersey with his wife, Taylor, after signing with the Giants last offseason. It was her support that kept him going.

“My wife was huge (in helping me),” Campbell said. “Obviously just her being with me every single day. She kind of had a battle, too. We lived in (New) Jersey. We lived in Edgewater. She had to take my son to school all the way in South Jersey. So she was driving like an hour every morning.

“She was kind of down in the dumps, too, because I was down in the dumps. We kind of helped each other and leaned on each other in that moment. She prayed for patience during the time. She got shown patience in a different way. I prayed for patience as well. I got shown patience in a different way. So we just kind of grew together.”

Campbell turned his hardships into motivation.

He believes everything happens for a reason, and he’s trying to put the past behind him in Philadelphia.

“I kind of got a bigger chip on my shoulder just from how things went down last year,” Campbell said. “I felt like coming off my fourth year (with the Colts), I was coming off my best season thus far in the NFL. I just felt like things didn’t connect last year (with the Giants). That’s fine, you know. Every place and every person is not a great fit. It was what it was at the end of the day. But I carry that chip. I carry that chip on my shoulder. I worked my tail off this offseason.”