Among the most overworked (but true) football cliches of all time is a generic version of “you win games in the offseason” or “this is when we win championships” or something along those lines.
It’s also true. You do win games in the offseason. Teams can’t expect to win championships unless everyone is on the same page throughout that time, and it can go sideway really easily. Take the offseason mess the Cincinnati Bengals have endured the last 2 seasons with the team’s 3 best players — Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins — unable to connect for a variety of issues.
The 2 seasons before that, the Bengals were all on the same page throughout the offseason. The result was 2 consecutive trips to the AFC Championship Game, including one Super Bowl appearance following the 2021 season.
The Philadelphia Eagles now find themselves in a similar offseason quandary — albeit on the defensive side of the ball — with rookie linebacker and first round pick Jihaad Campbell.
Campbell, for all intents and purposes, won’t even participate in the offseason before his rookie year because of offseason shoulder surgery. It’s the first of 2 shoulder surgeries he will supposedly need, and he won’t be back on the field until August, at the earliest.
The No. 31 overall pick signed a 4-year, $14.9 million rookie contract on June 12.
Campbell Trending Toward ‘Non Factor’ Status
It’s hard to make a leap from Campbell not being able to create chemistry and vibe with his team in the offseason to him becoming a key piece on defense for the defending Super Bowl champions, much less catch up with the physical aspects of strength, speed and conditioning he will miss out on.
If anything, it all points more toward Campbell being a non factor as a rookie and leads us to wonder why the Eagles would draft a player with these type of issues going in? And, more to that point, why draft a player with injury issues and expect him to fill in at a position where last year’s starter, Nakobe Dean, is already dealing with his own serious injury issues?
“He’s doing all he can in meetings; we’re doing all we can with him on the field,” Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio told ESPN’s Tim McManus on June 24. “I take him to the side and do an individual drill with him that’s suited to what he can do right now. So, he’s working good and trying to pick it up.”
Trying to Make Sense of Campbell Pick
It’s hard to make sense of picking a player with such specific injury issues — Campbell also may have an issue with one of his knees — to replace a player like Dean coming off a catastrophic knee injury.
Dean had a breakout season in 2024 with 128 tackles, 9 TFL, 3.0 sacks and 4 pass deflections in 15 starts before he tore his patellar tendon in an NFC Wild Card Round win over the Green Bay Packers. It’s an injury that could cost him most, if not all, of the 2025 regular season.
In typical Eagles fashion, if neither Dean or Campbell can get right for the regular season, there’s not really reason to panic — the other inside linebacker spot is manned by NFL All-Pro Zack Baun.
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