Campbell
The Saints have placed starting tight end Mark Campbell, a player whose importance to their offense extends beyond his statistics, on injured reserve for the rest of the season.
A ninth-year veteran, Campbell is suffering from an undisclosed disc problem, and rest and epidural injections have not relieved his discomfort. Given the lack of progress, and a strong likelihood Campbell would not be ready to play again anytime soon, Saints general manager Mickey Loomis and coach Sean Payton opted to place him on injured reserve.
New Orleans elevated rookie quarterback Tyler Palko from the practice squad to the active 53-player roster.
Campbell, 31, played in all five preseason games, but began experiencing stiffness and pain in his back toward the end of the exhibition schedule. Campbell has not been able to practice in weeks, and the Saints' medical staff had no more short-term possible remedies remaining.
Signed by the Saints as an unrestricted free agent in 2006, Campbell was a key contributor to the NFL's top-ranked offense last season. He started in 11 of 14 appearances and posted 18 catches for 164 yards. More important, playing primarily as an in-line tight end, Campbell was a terrific blocker in the New Orleans running game.
Veteran Eric Johnson, acquired as an unrestricted free agent this spring and a much better receiver than Campbell, will continue as the starting tight end now.
Campbell has 134 receptions for 1,235 yards and 10 touchdowns for his career. His best season was in 2003, when he had 34 catches for 339 yards while playing in Buffalo. He has appeared in 102 games, and started in 73 of them, in stints with Cleveland (1999-2002), Buffalo (2003-2005) and the Saints.
Senior writer Len Pasquarelli covers the NFL for ESPN.com
Source: ESPN.com
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