PHILADELPHIA — The Eagles drafting Jihaad Campbell was celebrated as Howie Roseman and the defending Super Bowl champions doing it again. Campbell, the high-upside, All-SEC linebacker out of Alabama, somehow fell to Philadelphia at the No. 31 overall pick in April.
There was an injury concern with Campbell. But the “top-10 talent” was too great for Roseman to ignore — and how the Eagles could use the New Jersey native was too tantalizing.
“For us, this was a really easy pick,” Roseman said on draft night. “Really explosive player. He can play inside. He can be an edge rusher. Feel really fortunate to bring him back to Philly.”
At this point, the Eagles have to feel really fortunate to have the 6-foot-3, 235-pound rookie in the building. Because the Eagles have a problem at edge rusher — and as Roseman alluded to on April 25, Campbell can provide an answer.
Philadelphia’s depth and talent at edge rusher was a concern entering the season. Josh Sweat left for a lucrative free agent deal. Brandon Graham retired (and no, he’s probably not unretiring). It was understood back in the summer that the position could be a weak link. That’s why the Eagles signed Za’Darius Smith, the 33-year-old, three-time Pro Bowler, last month.
Well, Smith abruptly retired on Monday. That, combined with Nolan Smith being on injured reserve and reserve Ogbo Okoronkwo done for the season, makes the situation dire.
Right now, the Eagles have four healthy edge rushers on the roster going into their Week 7 game against the Vikings: second-year developmental project Jalyx Hunt, veterans Joshua Uche and Azeez Ojulari and special teams standout Patrick Johnson. Those four have combined for one sack through six games.
Nolan Smith, who is dealing with a triceps injury, might return after the Week 9 bye in time to face the Packers on Nov. 10. But that doesn’t help a beleaguered group right now.
Obviously, Roseman making a deal is a distinct possibility. The trade deadline is on Nov. 4, and there are talented pass rushers — the Bengals’ Trey Hendrickson, Jets’ Jermaine Johnson and Dolphins’ Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb, to name a few — potentially available.
But as for this weekend against the Vikings, next weekend against the Giants and moving forward, Campbell could be the one who provides relief.
Campbell was a five-star edge rusher recruit when he signed at Alabama. Linebacker was his primary position in 2023 and 2024, when he recorded 183 combined tackles and 15 1/2 sacks. But he did log 155 defensive line reps in those seasons.
Though they mixed him in a bit off the edge, the Eagles showed initial hesitation to expand on that much further. They didn’t want to put too much on his plate, and they needed him at linebacker, where Campbell thrived through six games with 40 tackles and an interception. Zack Baun needed a running mate, and Nakobe Dean, a starter last year, was out.
But now, Dean is back. He made his season debut against the Giants last week after a patellar tendon injury forced him on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list to start the season.
So, could Campbell take snaps off the edge moving forward given the situation at edge rusher?
Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio kept it simple. “It’s possible,” he said on Tuesday.
Does Dean being back help make using Campbell as an edge rusher more feasible?
“It does,” Fangio said.
We’ll have to wait until Sunday to find out exactly how the Eagles decide to utilize Campbell. But in Minnesota, we could see a rookie taking the next step in his progression — a progression Roseman saw coming when the franchise spent a first-round pick on him in April.
“He’s got speed. He’s got power as an edge rusher. He was trained as an edge rusher,” Roseman said. “... We always want to improve the front-seven. We view him as a front-seven player. He’s got incredible versatility and a skillset to do both of those things.”
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