More on Campbell

Howie Roseman talked about how the NFL is a speed game now. Teams want to get fast players into space and allow them to make plays. You counter that in two ways. You start by having a defensive line that can pressure the QB. You also need a back seven that can cover, close to the ball and make tackles.

I have to think Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders offense is part of the reason for the pick.

This timeline of the Eagles’ defense is also a Jayden Daniels chart pic.twitter.com/XQLw23lFWM

— Computer Cowboy (@benbbaldwin) February 13, 2025

Once the Eagles defense got going, they shut down just about everyone. But not Washington. They gave up 36 and 23 points to the Commanders. I’m sure that wasn’t lost on Roseman, Nick Sirianni or Vic Fangio. The loss to Washington was an incredibly frustrating game. The defense had chance after chance to seal the deal and couldn’t get it done.

I’m sure Fangio had a few sleepless nights after watching Daniels scramble for huge gains in key situations.

If the Eagles stop Jayden Daniels run on 4th down, they likely win the game as they were up 27-14 going into the 4th Q.

Only Milton Williams attempts to collapse the pocket, all the other DL go selfishly for the sack. McCollum takes a horrible angle and blows the tackle. pic.twitter.com/6Lc97dQTHN

— Eagles Eric (@EaglesXsandOs) December 23, 2024

The best way to stop Daniels is to have guys in the middle of the defense who can do a variety of things. Campbell is that guy. You can have him rush off the edge or blitz up the middle. He can play the run. He can fly out wide to chase the ball. Campbell has excellent closing speed and he is a good tackler. If you miss Daniels (like the Eagles did in the loss), you will get burned for big gains.

Campbell is a complete LB.

RB tries to block Jihaad Campbell on a roll out pic.twitter.com/sKbw2KspP0

— Ted Nguyen (@FB_FilmAnalysis) April 11, 2025

Alabama LB Jihaad Campbell pic.twitter.com/SzJnLd7LJ4

— Cole Cubelic (@colecubelic) September 1, 2024

A sampling of what new #Eagles LB Jihaad Campbell is bringing to the defense, as a versatile pass rusher and off ball linebacker. He was an edge rusher in high school. pic.twitter.com/HpXpYEfhFw

— Devin Jackson (@RealD_Jackson) April 25, 2025

Adding Campbell to the defense doesn’t suddenly mean the Eagles will suddenly shut down Daniels with ease. It does help the defense to be able to deal with him and other mobile QBs. Washington can be especially challenging because they run so much no-huddle and also use a lot of screens. You must have LBs who can run and cover.

If Campbell had clean medicals, he would have gone much higher. Mike Mayock had him going 9th overall in his final mock draft. Daniel Jeremiah had Campbell rated as his 12th overall player. He also had an interesting comment on Campbell.

” Overall, Campbell expands the playbook for defensive coordinators and his best football is ahead of him.”

Think back to last year when Zack Baun would line up as an edge rusher. He would shift down there at the last minute to give the offense a different look. If you have Baun and Campbell on the field, either guy can do that. They are skilled enough and athletic enough to give Fangio a lot of options for calling different defenses. When facing veteran QBs like Patrick Mahomes or Matt Stafford, you want to give them different looks. The Eagles can’t count on overwhelming OL’s.

Offenses will study the Eagles defense this offseason. That means Fangio needs to have some new twists to throw at them. When you add a versatile, athletic defender like Campbell to the mix, the playbook should be wide open.

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