He was credited with giving up three of the five sacks logged by Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett, so rookie left tackle Will Campbell was understandably philosophical about the schooling he received during an otherwise dominant 32-13 win for the New England Patriots in Week 8.
Speaking to reporters after the game at Gillette Stadium on Sunday, October 26, Campbell conceded Garrett’s “a really good player. He beat me a few times, and that is just part of the game. He gets paid a lot of money, and he got me a couple times. I just had to keep coming back and keep fighting, which is why we got the win,” per Patriots.com Staff Writer Evan Lazar.
Acknowledging Garrett’s talent is one thing, but there’s no hiding this was a rough outing for Campbell. The Patriots used the fourth pick in the 2025 NFL draft to take Campbell to handle the league’s best pass-rushers, including Garrett.
Campbell getting dominated so thoroughly is at least mild cause for concern. Especially when the Patriots giving the former LSU stud help did nothing to slow Garrett down.
Will Campbell, Patriots Had No Answers for Myles Garrett
Nothing the Patriots did impacted 2023 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Garrett. Not even using tight ends to chip the dynamic edge-rusher.
That strategy didn’t work when Hunter Henry tried to slow Garrett on 3rd-and-goal in the first quarter. Garrett simply shrugged off the block, before bending around Campbell and sacking Drake Maye.
As Lazar put it, Garrett consistently “skirted around TE Hunter Henry’s chip blocks and then burst past Campbell with speed-dip rushes that caused the rookie left tackle to play with a short corner.”
This was a wake-up call of sorts for the first-year blindside protector who “had only allowed 1.5 sacks in his first seven games,” according to Lazar. Campbell generated a sense of panic during training camp, before concerns about his arm length were alleviated somewhat during most of the Pats’ five-game winning run.
Some of those concerns might return after Campbell was bossed by Garrett. The latter is an elite force as a six-time Pro Bowler and four-time first-team All-Pro, but the Pats drafted Campbell to protect Maye from the most fearsome pass-rushers.
It didn’t happen against the Browns, but Maye still delivered, earning Garrett’s respect in the process.
Myles Garrett Delivers Strong Verdict on Drake Maye
Maye took a beating, but he also completed three touchdown passes and rushed for 50 yards. Garrett was suitably impressed, admitting, “I think he is a great human being. I think he is a good quarterback who is soon to be a great quarterback. I like how he’s grown. It’s nice to be a part of his journey. Hate to be on this end of it, but it’s nice to see how he’s leading his team. He’s helped them rebuild into what they are now. In a way, I’m proud of him, and I’m happy to see his success,” per the Boston Herald’s Doug Kyed.
That’s high praise from an excellent authority on what makes a great quarterback. Maye’s a special athlete with genuine dual-threat skills, but resilience is proving to be one of his best qualities.
He recovered from a sluggish start against the Browns, a start influenced by Garrett’s dominance of Campbell and the overall line of scrimmage. Numbers from ESPN’s Mike Reiss, citing ESPN Research, credited Garrett “with 6 QB pressures in the first half, tied with 3 others for most in a half this season (Brian Burns, DeForest Buckner, Aidan Hutchinson). Drake Maye was 2-for-3 with an INT, 3 sacks and a fumble (recovered by NE) on those 6 dropbacks.”
Those aren’t sustainable numbers for the Patriots and their franchise QB1, even though Maye is currently proving tough enough and efficient enough to overcome the punishment. The bigger issue is how Campbell will fare against some of the other bluechip edge defenders on the schedule.
A three-game stretch of matchups against New York Giants edge Brian Burns, Cincinnati Bengals DE Trey Hendrickson and All-Pro Buffalo Bills pass-rusher Joey Bosa, starting in Week 12, will determine Campbell’s progress.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Patriots Rookie Will Campbell Speaks Out About Myles Garrett Nightmare appeared first on Heavy Sports.