General manager Howie Roseman and his staff have had to make tough roster decisions this offseason and will presumably have to make more in the near future. That comes with the territory when you build a championship caliber roster thanks to a high success rate with first round picks, signing key free agents and developing players.
One of those decisions was letting linebacker Nakobe Dean sign elsewhere after he served as a vocal leader in the locker room and a physical presence on the field. Dean inked a three-year, $36 million deal with the Las Vegas Raiders in the offseason.
The blow of not having Dean on the roster anymore was softened though due to Zack Baun’s impressive transformation and the emergence of Jihaad Campbell at off-ball linebacker, who is in store for a breakout sophomore campaign.
Campbell’s locker was right next to Dean’s and Baun’s. That wasn’t by accident.
The former Alabama product, who fell in the Eagles’ lap at pick 31 in the 2025 Draft after they traded up one spot with Kansas City to land him, has a full year under his belt learning Vic Fangio’s defense and being a sponge, soaking up all the information and advice he could from his fellow linebacker leaders in Dean and Baun.
He put together a solid rookie campaign, starting in 10 of 17 games, filling in nicely for the injured Dean.
Campbell finished with 80 tackles, a forced fumble which came in the season opener against Dallas and a game-saving interception against Tampa Bay. He also was one of the highest graded linebackers in coverage last season and finished as the 14th-highest graded linebacker overall per PFF with a 76.2.
He quickly fit right in on the field and the linebacking corp as a whole seemed to be in sync from the opening week of the season.
“It’s just the mindset of the linebackers in our room in general,” Campbell said after the 24-20 season opening win against the Cowboys last season.
“It’s the standard we play with for our whole team across the board. We understood the communication factor, where to line up and how to play together.”
Heading into this season, Campbell will be held to a higher standard once he returns from rehabbing from his second shoulder surgery in as many years. It was reported that the 22-year-old played his rookie season with the injury and would not be ready until training camp.
Campbell will be relied upon within a young defensive nucleus that has rising superstars in Cooper DeJean, Quinyon Mitchell, Jordan Davis, Jalen Carter and Jalyx Hunt forming one of the NFL’s top defensive units for another season under Fangio.
He will anchor a linebacking group alongside Baun, Jeremiah Trotter Jr., Nolan Smith, Smael Mondon Jr., Arnold Ebiketie and others that has become a strength of the team, something that hasn’t been said about a position group that seemingly was an afterthought for years previously.
And don’t forget – Campbell also changed his number from 30 to 11 – the more aesthetic numeral he wore in college as he is in line to look even better in 2026 in more ways than one after a solid NFL debut season.
