Wide receiver Michael Campanaro has all the talent and ability in the world to truly be an impact player for the Baltimore Ravens. It's just a shame that we may never get a chance to see it, thanks to the barrage of injuries that have plagued him throughout his almost three-year career with the Ravens. We've seen what Campanaro can do on the field, he just can't stay on it. Campanaro was selected in the 7th round of the 2014 NFL Draft after he produced at Wake Forest University, notching 229 receptions for 2,506 yards and 14 touchdowns. He finished 6th all-time in ACC history for career receptions.
Unfortunately, the same thing that has cursed Campanaro's run in Baltimore, also was a problem in college as he missed multiple games in his Junior and Senior campaigns. Campanaro truly began his Ravens career in week 6 of the 2014 season against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers notching his first career reception that also just so happened to be his first career touchdown. Two weeks later, Campanaro suffered a hamstring injury against the Cincinnati Bengals that would keep him out of action until the final week of the regular season. In the playoffs of that year, he recorded four catches for 40 yards against the New England Patriots in the AFC Divisional Playoff game.
2015 brought a lot of hope and expectations for Campanaro, but in the Ravens first win of the season against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Campanaro suffered a herniated disc and he would go on to miss the rest of the year. He finished the 2015 season with five receptions for 35 yards.
Along with his receiving duties, Campanaro has also been a returner over the last 2 seasons and in 2016, this is where he will have to earn a spot on the 53 man roster. 2016 has once again been a bumpy road for Campanaro, as he missed Organized Team Activities (OTA) and minicamp with a calf injury followed by being out for all of training camp with an injured hamstring before returning to practice on Monday.
Ironically, on the same day Campanaro returned, Kaelin Clay, who was also fighting for return duties, was waived. Campanaro knows he needs to make plays to beat out rookies in Keenan Reynolds, Kenneth Dixon, and the now injured Tavon Young as the teams return specialist. If Campanaro can stay healthy, I think he wins the job. That however, is a major if.