Jihaad Campbell rode to the rescue in the first half of last season as Nakobe Dean continued his recovery from a knee injury, making eight starts before shifting into a reserve role when Dean returned.
Dean isn’t around to reciprocate in case the shoulder injury that Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio revealed to NBC Sports Philadelphia’s John Clark on Wednesday night at an event to honor Dick Vermeil forces Campbell to miss any time when the season begins.
It doesn’t sound like he will, with Fangio telling Clark that the now-second-year linebacker will “miss most of the offseason.”
Exactly how much of the offseason remains to be seen, but you can probably bank on Campbell not being available for at least spring’s conditioning phase or the OTA sessions through May, and maybe the mandatory minicamp that will come up in June.
**It's Unclear How Much Time Jihaad Campbell Could Miss**
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Eagles rookie Jihaad Campbell talks to reporters during Week 14 | Ed Kracz/Eagles on SI
The ideal scenario would be to have Campbell back in time for the start of training camp in mid to late July. Entering his second year, the Eagles are counting on big things from him. He is one of the reasons they let Dean leave in free agency. Dean bolted for a three-year contract worth up to $36 million, with $20 million guaranteed.
The Eagles moved up one spot in the first round of last year’s draft to select Campbell with the 31st overall pick. The Alabama linebacker, who grew up an Eagles fan in South Jersey, began to slide in the draft after the expectation was he would be a top 15 to 20 pick at minimum. A shoulder injury caused the slide, so the fact that another shoulder injury has now popped up probably isn’t ideal.
It’s unclear if the injured shoulder is the same one that caused him problems leading into the draft. Any shoulder injury for a linebacker can be problematic.
If the injury forces Campbell to miss more time than what Fangio alluded to, the Eagles will need somebody to ride to the rescue, as Campbell did for Dean last season. There is depth in coach Bobby King’s linebacker room, with Jeremiah Trotter, Jr., now entering his third season, and Smael Mondon about to enter his second.
There is also the possibility that the Eagles could add another linebacker at some point when the NFL draft begins on April 23, but it wouldn’t be in the first round. An intriguing prospect is Josiah Trotter – Jeremiah’s brother and the other son of former Eagles LB standout Jeremiah.
Josiah Trotter is considered a third-round pick, so he could be availbe in that round for the Eagles, who own picks No. 68, which belonged to the New York Jets but came to Philadelphia two years ago when they traded for Haason Reddick, and No. 98, a compensatory pick.