Tight end Devonte Campbell will be on the sidelines when the Terrapin football team plays Navy at M&T Bank Stadium on Monday, coach Ralph Friedgen said at Tuesday’s press conference.
That means the top two players on the tight end depth will be out of commission. Campbell suffered a knee strain Aug. 23, and junior Lansford Watson underwent knee surgery for a torn ACL and MCL on Aug. 24 and is out for the season.
Campbell does not expect to be out long, but injuries to the Terps’ two most experienced tight ends will leave sophomore Matt Furstenburg as the starter against the Midshipmen. While Furstenberg played in 11 games last season, he caught just one pass.
The team also will have redshirt freshman Dave Stinebaugh as an option, but Will Yeatman, another backup tight end, is out with a broken finger.
The rest of the receiving corps is ready to step in and help out at the short-handed position, though.
“With the tight end injury, we could add an extra receiver on the field, so we’re definitely embracing the challenge,” wide receiver Torrey Smith said. “We’re deep at receiver — we’ve got about 10 or 11 guys that can play right away. So with the tight ends being down, hopefully it won’t affect us to much.”
Friedgen is looking forward to seeing Campbell and Yeatman healthy again and back on the field later this season.
“The good news is we only lost one of our tight ends for the whole year,” Friedgen said. “The others will be back.”
– Kate Yanchulis