Campbell was born in Clifton, Texas and attended Glen Rose High School, where he was a tailback and tight end. As a senior, he recorded 27 receptions for 423 yards, five touchdowns and rushed for over 50 yards. He accepted a football scholarship from Texas A&M University. In his last 2 seasons, he shared the tight end position with Derrick Spiller. As a junior, he posted 12 receptions for 143 yards and 2 touchdowns. As a senior, he started 2 games at the "B" slot, flanker, one game at split end and 2 contests at flanker. He recorded 7 receptions for 68 yards, one touchdown and 3 special teams tackles.
Professional career
New York Giants
Campbell was selected by the New York Giants in the third round of the 1999 NFL Draft. In 2000, he started 4 games and was a part of the team that appeared in Super Bowl XXXV. In 2001, he became the team's regular starting tight end after passing Howard Cross on the depth chart and was mainly used as a blocking tight end. In 2002, his blocking helped Kerry Collins throw for a club record 4,073 yards and Tiki Barber rush for the second best total in franchise history 1,387 yards.
Dallas Cowboys
Campbell was one of the first free agents to sign with the Dallas Cowboys after Bill Parcells was named the head coach in 2003. He quickly became a team leader and although Jason Witten emerged as the main tight end, he still served as a mentor and remained a key blocker on the offensive line. In 2004, he only played in three games because of torn ligaments in his foot and was placed on the injured reserve list on September 30. Witten would go on to have one of the best receiving seasons by a tight end in franchise history and received Pro Bowl honors. In 2005, he recovered from an appendectomy on July 27, missing only 10 days of practice and returned to start all four preseason games. The team employed two-tight end sets, which allowed him to start 12 games alongside Witten.
Detroit Lions
On March 14, 2006, Campbell was signed as a free agent by the Detroit Lions. Known mostly as a blocking tight end, he posted career-highs in receiving yards, average per reception, long reception, and touchdowns, the most by a Lions tight end since 2001. On September 22, 2007, he was placed on injured reserve with an elbow injury. On September 9, 2008, he was again placed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury. He was released on February 9, 2009.
New Orleans Saints
On February 26, 2009, he signed as a free agent with the New Orleans Saints reuniting with head coach Sean Payton who was his offensive coordinator with the Cowboys. On August 10, he was placed on injured reserve with an MCL injury he suffered in training camp. He was still able to receive his first Super Bowl ring from the Saints' victory over the Colts in Super Bowl XLIV, and retired at the end of the year.
Career statistics
Coaching career
Campbell was the tight ends coach with the Miami Dolphins from 2011 until he took over as the interim head coach when Joe Philbin was fired on October 5, 2015. Campbell led the team to five wins and seven losses. After leaving the Dolphins in January 2016, Campbell was hired by the Saints as the assistant head coach and tight ends coach.
