Patience and determination.
That was the three-word message Philadelphia Eagles rookie linebacker Jihaad Campbell posted on X on December 1, days after the team’s second straight loss. For the first time all season, Campbell played zero defensive snaps in the Eagles’ Week 13 loss to the Chicago Bears, which has left some fans and analysts to question how the team is handling its first-round pick.
For a player who looked like an early Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate, Campbell didn’t sound like he was complaining in his post, which seemed more like a mission statement than anything else.
The Eagles traded up to snag Campbell 31st overall in the 2025 draft. He arrived with some medical risk, coming off March labrum surgery that kept him out until August, but coaches still projected him as an immediate starter on the inside in Vic Fangio’s defense. Through 12 games, that bet has largely paid off: Campbell has 53 total tackles (30 solo), one interception, one forced fumble and two passes defended. But his playing time has dwindled in recent weeks, which is a tad concerning,
A Week-By-Week Breakdown of Eagles LB Jihaad Campbell’s Reduced Snaps & Playing Time
Over the first three weeks of the season, Campbell hit the ground running. In the team’s Week 1 win over the Cowboys, he played 56 defensive snaps (92% of the snaps) and logged three tackles.
Week 2 at Kansas City, he bumped up to 58 snaps (97%) and finished with seven tackles (five solo) in a slugfest the Eagles won, 20–17. Week 3 against the L.A. Rams was more of the same. He played 63 snaps (95%), finishing with eight tackles.
Weeks 4–6: Campbell Made His First Splash Play
Campbell’s first wow moment came in Week 4 against Tampa Bay, where Campbell stayed on the field for 70 snaps (97%) and picked off Baker Mayfield in a 31–25 win, his first NFL interception. He also added four tackles that night.
Week 5 against the Denver Broncos, he played 71 snaps (96%) and had 11 tackles (six solo), finishing second on the team behind Zack Baun in stops and giving him 33 tackles, one pick and one forced fumble through five games. In Week 6 at the Giants, he stayed in the 90% usage club again with 62 snaps and seven more tackles.
Weeks 7–9: Campbell Begins Seeing the Field Less & Less
GettyPhiladelphia Eagles LB Jihaad Campbell has seen his snaps and/or playing time decrease as the season has progressed. His response was telling.
Campbell’s workload finally began to taper in late October. He played 60 snaps (87%) with three tackles in Week 7 at Minnesota, then just 21 snaps (40%) and two tackles the following week in a home rematch with the Giants as he dealt with a biceps issue that popped up on the injury report.
Week 9 was the Eagles’ bye, effectively resetting his season at 42 tackles, an interception and a forced fumble through his first eight appearances.
Weeks 10–13: The Nakobe Dean Effect
Coming out of the bye, Campbell’s snap share dwindled even more. In Week 10 at Green Bay, he played 34 snaps (50%) and made five tackles. Week 11 against Detroit, he dropped to 20 snaps (34%), finishing with two tackles.
Week 12 at Dallas, he played just 11 snaps (15%) with one tackle. By Week 13 against Chicago, with Nakobe Dean reclaiming a full-time role in the middle, Campbell was relegated to special teams and logged no defensive snaps for the first time all year.
There’s no doubt Dean is an asset to the defense and, as Fangio noted, deserves playing time. But it’s also fair to argue Campbell, a promising rookie who can only grow on the field, deserves snaps, too. But until Fangio can figure out a way to use him more, patience and determination might have to be the two crutches Campbell has to lean on.
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