The Dallas Cowboys are a bit late to the party in comparison to some of their NFL peers, as they won't begin organized team activities (OTAs) until June 1. Several other teams around the league started earlier this week or even at the beginning of last week.
While this slightly prolonged holding period can be a bit boring for Cowboys fans, some news finally broke from The Star on Wednesday. Dallas wide receiver Parris Campbell, according to the NFL transaction wire, has been placed on the reserve/retired list. Campbell is hanging up his cleats.
This news comes just days before OTAs begin for Brian Schottenheimer's team, and it is fairly out of nowhere. Campbell's NFL career certainly hasn't gone as he planned after being a second-round pick in 2019, but at least the still-young player is leaving on his own terms.
Dallas Cowboys WR Parris Campbell suddenly retires before OTAs kick off
Campbell joined the Cowboys last offseason in free agency, inking a one-year deal. But before he could make an impression during the team's preseason slate, he was placed on the injured reserve and released just three days later.
Of course, as fans remember, Campbell rejoined the team in late September, signing to the practice squad. He played in one game for Dallas in 2025, their Week 6 loss to the Carolina Panthers. He played two offensive snaps and four on special teams, recording one tackle and no targets.
Unfortunately, Campbell's career was largely derailed by injuries. In just seven NFL seasons, Campbell was placed on the injured reserve on four separate occasions and played in just 50 of a possible 117 games. It is tough to come back from that both mentally and physically.
Although a bit tragic to see the No. 59 overall pick from the 2019 NFL Draft call it quits after just a handful of underwhelming and injury-riddled seasons, at least Campbell isn't leaving the Cowboys out to dry with his abrupt retirement ahead of OTAs. Dallas is set at wide receiver.
CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, Ryan Flournoy, Anthony Smith, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and KaVontae Turpin were likely all ahead of him in the pecking order, so Campbell would have been competing for scraps anyway, likely on special teams, if anything.
Dallas will soon make a corresponding move before it takes the field for OTAs to get the roster back to 90 players, so expect an announcement on that front. Good luck to Campbell in whatever post-football ventures he may find himself in.
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