The Philadelphia Eagles seemed to strike gold in the 2025 NFL draft when they landed Jihaad Campbell. The young linebacker flashed elite potential, and some thought he could even be a hybrid player, lining up at defensive end like Micah Parsons.
Campbell turned plenty of heads in training camp and in the early stage of the season. Unfortunately for him, the Eagles' defense didn't always live up to the hype, and with defensive coordinator Vic Fangio looking for answers, he may have been the odd man out.
The Eagles Might Not Need Jihaad Campbell Right Now
As pointed out by independent Eagles beat writer Ed Kracz on X, Campbell just played a season-low 20 defensive snaps in the win over the Detroit Lions. That seems to be the trade-off after Nakobe Dean made his season debut.
Campbell played as many as 71 defensive snaps at some point in the season. He played 92, 97, 95, 97, 96, and 90 percent of the team's defensive snaps when Dean was out with an injury. With Dean playing like a man on a mission in his four appearances, though, it's been almost impossible to get him off the field.
The rookie linebacker has made ten appearances (eight starts) this season, logging 52 total tackles (29 solo) with two passes defensed, one tackle for loss, one QB hit, one interception, and one forced fumble. He also has a solid Pro Football Focus grade of 81.4, which ranks sixth among 83 eligible linebackers.
Unfortunately for him, this is a team sport, and the defense has looked better with Dean on the field. It's been a tough decision to make for defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, but with the Eagles giving up seven and nine points in their last two games, it's impossible to argue with the results.
The Eagles have spent plenty of money to keep Zack Baun there, and he will continue to be on the field as often as possible for this defense. Dean can become a free agent at the end of the season, so he should be extremely motivated to prove why he's worthy of a big pay raise.
As a result, the Eagles will have no choice but to continue going with Dean to determine whether to keep him around or not. Campbell should have a bright future in this league, but that's the problem for rookies playing for a Super Bowl contender.