The Philadelphia Eagles struck gold in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft. GM Howie Roseman worked his magic again, and landing a top-tier talent like Jihaad Campbell at No. 31 looked like overkill.
Campbell turned plenty of heads in training camp, and it didn't take long before he made an impact in the regular season as well. That's why Eliot Shorr-Parks of 94WIP.com is worried about the way Vic Fangio might be hurting his development.
The Eagles Need to Play Jihaad Campbell
"Best players should play, but Jihaad Campbell, seeing fewer and fewer snaps each week, isn’t ideal. Campbell played only 21 snaps yesterday. His previous low was 57. Nakobe Dean played 33. Patrick Johnson played 26. Tough problem to figure out, but Campbell needs to play," Shorr-Parks wrote on X.
The Eagles probably intended Campbell to play more at defensive end after Za'Darius Smith's sudden retirement. However, with Brandon Graham coming out of retirement and Nakobe Dean back from injury, that plan changed.
Still, one can only wonder whether defensive coordinator Vic Fangio is taking the right approach with those reps. For starters, Dean is about to become a free agent, so he might not even be a part of the team's future.
More than that, though, Campbell has looked like a star in the making, and he should be getting as many reps as he can handle at this point in his development. Through the first eight games of his career, he's logged a Pro Football Focus grade of 83.1, which is the sixth-highest among eligible linebackers.
The rookie has 45 combined tackles (26 solo) to go along with one tackle for loss, one QB hit, two passes defensed, one forced fumble, and one interception. He's the future at the position, and he fits the timeline of this young and up-and-coming defense.
Campbell is one of the few players, along with Micah Parsons and maybe Abdul Carter, who can legitimately be as good at linebacker and defensive end. He's a special talent that needs to be developed, and that's not going to happen with him sitting on the bench.
Dean is also young and could turn out to be a star, so it's not like they should necessarily give up on him; they should look for a way to retain him. But with the defense taking a step back this season, Fangio needs to play the best players, not the biggest names.