Eagles first-round pick Jihaad Campbell had shoulder surgery in March so he wasn’t able to do very much on the practice field this spring.
But on the last day before summer break, there was a very welcome sign at the NovaCare Complex: Campbell participated in linebacker drills.
Campbell, 21, is still a ways away from being a full participate in practice — defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said August — but this was at least a step in the right direction for the No. 31 overall pick.
And even though Campbell hasn’t been fully cleared just yet, head coach Nick Sirianni has set very clear expectations for the rookie as Campbell continues to recover.
“Making sure that he gets all the mental reps that he possibly can get at this particular time,” Sirianni said on Tuesday before the Eagles’ final practice this spring. “I think we’re probably the only sport that practices more than they play, and then also that has more walkthrough even than you have practice reps.
“So he’s going to be getting a lot of those opportunities to watch walkthrough, to watch practice and get those mental reps because as a guy is not in, obviously you’re not working the fundamentals of block destruction or tackling or how to take the football away, but what you’re trying to make sure is that they have the mental part of the game down. Those are things that he can do in the film room. Those are things he can do out in the field when he is watching practice. So that’s his mission right now and our goal for him right now.”
The other expectation for Campbell and the rest of the Eagles’ rookie class of 2025?
Be in shape when you report for training camp on July 22.
The good news for Campbell is that his injury is an upper-body one so he should be able to maintain his conditioning as he rehabs that surgically repaired shoulder.
“We really pride ourselves on that, that you can’t play with great detail and you can’t play with great physicality, you can’t play with relentless effort if you’re not in great shape,” Sirianni said. “So they’ll have, obviously we all have conditioning tests. They’ll have conditioning tests when they get back. Be in great shape, have your body, if your body’s supposed to weigh this, that’s what it needs to weigh and make sure you can run all day because again, the thing you notice the most when you’re not in good shape, one, injuries happen.”
While the Eagles emphasized Campbell’s pass-rushing upside when they drafted him, the coaching staff has Campbell at inside linebacker to begin his career. According to Fangio, the reason is that there’s more to learn in the defense at inside linebacker than there is at edge rusher.
But perhaps, eventually, we will see Campbell’s unique skills and versatility be put to use.
Just last year, the Eagles were able to help turn Zack Baun into an All-Pro inside linebacker with a very similar build and skillset as their new rookie. It’s easy for outsiders to make that comp but Baun sees it too and he has been impressed by Campbell so far.
“That’s a big dude. Similar to myself,” Baun said. “A versatile guy that can do a lot of different things. Just starting to see him move around a little bit and the dude can move and he’s impressively very smart on the board as well. I’m really excited for him.”
During the spring, the Eagles have been without both Campbell (shoulder) and Nakobe Dean (knee) in team drills so Jeremiah Trotter Jr. worked next to Baun in the middle of the Eagles’ defense. Trotter is a solid insurance policy but it seems likely that either Campbell or Dean will be the starter in 2025. And based on Campbell’s return to individual drills, he appears closer to a return.
Of course, there could come a time this season where all three of the Eagles’ top linebackers are healthy. When that happens, the Eagles will have an interesting decision to make. And maybe that’s when they’ll really start to utilize Campbell’s versatility.
Baun this week was able to put that versatility into context.
“It’s sounds like a great thing, being a utility knife kind of guy, like a do-it-all kind of guy,” he said. “But it’s a blessing and a curse because it comes with responsibility and the knowledge that comes with that. As much as he can handle and put on his plate, I’m sure Vic’s going to push that.”
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