Getty Outside linebacker De'Vondre Campbell #59 of the Arizona Cardinals lines up against the Buffalo Bills during the NFL game at State Farm Stadium on November 15, 2020 in Glendale, Arizona. The Cardinals defeated the Bills 32-30.
The Green Bay Packers have struggled to put together a formidable inside linebacker group of the past several seasons, even when former tackling machine Blake Martinez was prowling the middle of their defense.
If De’Vondre Campbell plays like he practices, though, the Packers may have finally found their answer on the inside.
Campbell, who signed a one-year, $2 million free-agent contract with the Packers in early June, has begun to distinguish himself as a frontrunner for the team’s starting inside linebacker job after making some early impressions in the first two weeks of training camp. The 6-foot-4, 232-pound veteran was an every-game starter in 2020 for the Arizona Cardinals and has averaged more than 100 tackles each year over the past four seasons, easily qualifying him as the most experienced of the Packers’ unit.
And so far, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur seems to think Campbell looks the part.
“He has been lights out,” LaFleur said Friday. “You can see the instincts that he has and he’s very, very fluid. There’s been a couple instances in practice — whether it’s as a blitzer, whether it’s coverage — where (you can see) he’s a very good athlete.”
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Will Campbell Enhance Packers’ ILB Room?
Campbell’s signing flew relatively under the radar during an offseason where questions and rumors about Aaron Rodgers’ future dominated headlines, but the 28-year-old inside linebacker could end up being one of the most important additions of the Packers’ offseason if he maintains his steady level of production in Green Bay.
For the early parts of his one-year stint in Arizona, Campbell was an every-down linebacker for the Cardinals with the speed and athleticism to go sideline to sideline and reliable pass-rush instincts that regularly helped him jam up plays at or behind the line of scrimmage. While the Cardinals began pushing him to the back burner in Week 10 in favor of Isaiah Simmons — the No. 8 overall selection in the 2020 NFL draft — he still managed to rack up 99 total tackles (69 solos), two sacks and seven TFLs despite battling some minor injuries later in the year.
Welcome to the #Packers, De’Vondre Campbell!
Campbell is a reliable and solid tackler totaling over 90 tackles in each of the last four seasons.
He’s also been able to stay on the field having played in every game since 2016.
Unfortunately, Campbell has struggled to bring the pass-coverage aspect of his game up to par. Opposing passers picked him apart in coverage last season, completing 41 of the 56 passes (73.2%) thrown his direction for a combined 393 yards and two touchdowns over the year. His capabilities in pass coverage were also a sore spot during his final two seasons in Atlanta with Campbell allowing completions on 82% of targets (50 of 61) in 2019 and 69.8% of targets (44 of 63) in 2018.
Now, according to Pro Football Focus, Campbell has been far better in zone coverage than in man, but the burden will fall on new Packers defensive coordinator Joe Barry to put him in positions to succeed during his first season with his third team.
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