The call came in for Jihaad Campbell to blitz, on only the second play of the game...
But the rookie linebacker knew what to do.
"It was one of those, 'They call your number, so you gotta make the play,'" Campbell said.
So he made a big one.
On the snap, Campbell made a beeline straight to Cleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel and hit the gap. Offensive guard Zak Zinter was too late to see Campbell rushing and could only muster a futile push from the side. Gabriel tried to step out of the pocket and escape, but he was too late also.
Campbell wrapped him up for the sack and a loss of four yards to put the Browns in a 3rd and 10 situation.
Cleveland found their way out of it, and to a 22-13 preseason win as visitors to Lincoln Financial Field on Saturday, but that was hardly the main thing that the Eagles – and their fans watching – were taking away.
The team needs another starting linebacker to play next to Zack Baun, with Nakobe Dean still expected out for a while.
And Campbell, the 31st overall pick out of Alabama from the draft back in April, continues to look the part the further into the summer the calendar gets.
Saturday's showing felt like another promising sign.
Campbell played through the first half of Saturday's exhibition, starting alongside Jeremiah Trotter Jr. as the leading two linebackers and then rotating through looks with fellow rookie Smael Mondon Jr. and journeyman Ochuan Mathis.
On the whole, the 21-year-old recorded four tackles (three solo) in his second preseason game, which included his immediate sack of Gabriel.
And it all happened fast, at a rapid NFL pace that Campbell said afterward is starting to get just a bit slower.
"I think that just comes with understanding the scheme," Campbell said from his locker postgame. "Understanding where's your help, understanding your assignment, and [how] to execute it.
"I'm just taking that detail by detail every day, and the game is slowing down for me."
How strong a fit he is for defensive coordinator Vic Fangio's system is becoming increasingly clearer, too.
When the Eagles moved up a spot in the draft from 32 to 31 to ensure they could get Campbell, general manager Howie Roseman was hesitant to fit his newest prospect into any narrow positional view. His talent seemed just too versatile for that.
At Alabama, Campbell exhibited a speed, power, lateral movement, and instinct that can all combine to thrive at linebacker, but also work just as well off the edge.
In a Fangio defense, though, where linebacker is a much bigger point of emphasis, that skill set can get amplified.
So far through training camp, it arguably already has been, with the No. 30 out there on the field continually drawing eyes as a potential starter sooner rather than later.
"It's a day-by-day process," Campbell said. "Just being that versatile piece on the edge, off the edge, playing off ball...I mean, I just really appreciate Coach Vic and all the other defensive coaches just to grant me the opportunity to learn and grow...just keep understanding the whole defensive scheme and really the whole defensive playbook."
Does he see that all adding up to him being on the field right from the start in Week 1?
"I mean, we just came off a loss," Campbell said. "I think the biggest thing is really just to go back to the drawing board and find out the details and what specifics, offensive, defensive, and as a team, and as a whole, how we can get better.
"That's what my main focus is."
Jihaad-Campbell-Eagles-Browns-Preseason-Week-2-8.16.25-NFL.jpgKyle Ross/Imagn Images
Rookie linebacker Jihaad Campbell recorded a sack immediately into Saturday's Eagles preseason game against the Browns.
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