Ready to Replace

PHILADELPHIA — There are a number of critical factors contributing to the Eagles’ recent defensive surge, a primary one being continuity.

Vic Fangio enters his third season as defensive coordinator, for starters. There’s also a nucleus of ascending talent on every level, most of which have been together for at least three seasons.

GETTY IMAGES: Second-year LB Jihaad Campbell will look to fill the void left by Nakobe Dean.

That’s not to diminish the offseason departures of longtime linchpins Reed Blankenship and Nakobe Dean, as both were revered for their character and leadership.

On the field, Blankenship and Dean were fundamentally sound and elite communicators, stabilizing forces amid the chaos. Most importantly, they earned Fangio’s trust.

This season, the Eagles will turn to a pair of second-year draftees in safety Drew Mukuba and linebacker Jihaad Campbell, respectively, to fill those voids.

When it comes to Campbell, his situation is especially unique. The 2025 first-round pick logged 10 starts as a rookie, accumulating 710 defensive snaps. Campbell largely performed well, though, through no fault of his own, was swapped out for Dean when the veteran returned to full strength. Campbell was then mostly relegated to a cameo role on defense, including the playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers in which he accounted for a single defensive snap.

The 22-year-old was sidelined for the second consecutive spring after undergoing another shoulder procedure that Campbell on Thursday referred to as a “little fix-up thing” after the season to ensure he was healthy for training camp. With that now behind him, Campbell returned to action in time for the Eagles’ first training camp practice of the summer, aligning opposite All-Pro Zack Baun.

Campbell not only reclaimed his position, but also the jersey number he’d previously worn at different points in his career. He traded out the No. 30 for No. 11 — the number that previously belonged to wide receiver A.J. Brown.

“Of course, I’ve been hearing this a lot,” Campbell quipped. “We’re going to leave the A.J. Brown thing out of it. There’s nothing towards him at all. I wore it in high school, college and I just wanted to wear it in the NFL.”

On the field, Campbell is difficult to miss. For one, his frame sets him apart from others in his room. Campbell’s wingspan measures out to 80 inches, a valuable tool when it comes to the coverage component of his job description. And that’s not to neglect his blistering closing speed and sideline-to-sideline range.

Through two practices, Campbell has seemingly picked up where he left off last season, only now, he has experience from which to draw from. He’s already noticed the benefits.

“I would say it shows up big time in trying to dissect different formations and understanding what the offense is running and what they’re trying to get to,” he said. “Obviously, we have a new offense so I’m seeing different things this year and it’s been really great. The biggest thing about experience, especially for a linebacker, is knowing the mental part of the game, knowing how a guy sets, knowing what routes to expect, what run schemes you can expect. And knowing what gap you have or gap exchange you have or which lane you have.”

Campbell has the potential to become a special talent, in a defense known for valuing the position. His wide-ranging skill set exemplifies the modern-day NFL linebacker, one with supercharged athleticism, adept at defending everything from athletic move tight ends to tracking running backs out of the backfield.

Campbell credited Dean, whom he referred to as a “smart player,” for helping him learn the intricacies of the position. But that doesn’t mean he’s poised to become a splitting image of his predecessor. Campbell is a different style of player, one who doesn’t profile as a throwback thumper in the run game. But he’s more than equipped to deliver a wave of splash plays.

Campbell’s development in Year 2 will be paramount to the Eagles’ success, to be sure, but Baun has already observed noticeable growth in critical areas that could propel the second-year linebacker toward a breakthrough season.

“I feel like, just based on in the meeting rooms, he has a full understanding of the defense,” he said. “He can play all the linebacker positions if you need him to, and he’s versatile. He’s continuing to work on his body. He looks a lot bigger going into this training camp, so that’s cool to see. I’m just glad he’s working hard and knows he’s still got some room for improvement.”