Before Calais Campbell was a six-time Pro Bowler, the defensive lineman spent his college years with the Miami Hurricanes.
“A lot of great memories. It was a great place to go to school,” Campbell said at a press conference after signing with the Miami Dolphins. “You get the love from the city at a high level, but you also know being a Dolphin is another level not just in the city – it turns it up a little bit. So all these years later, it’s kind of cool to become a Dolphin.”
Campbell’s signing hasn’t made the national headlines a player of his caliber usually receives, due mostly to his 38th birthday coming this fall. However, the statistics and proven reliability of Campbell show he’s still playing at a high level and could be the most impactful of many signings general manager Chris Grier made in 2024.
The Dolphins had an extremely active offseason with numerous additions and departures to the roster, especially along the defensive line.
The most notable departure was lineman Christian Wilkins, who signed a massive four-year, $110 million deal with the Las Vegas Raiders. The Dolphins also lost defensive tackle Raekwon Davis, who landed a two-year deal with the Indianapolis Colts.
Prior to signing Campbell, the Dolphins were looking at a very serious downgrade at the position next to Zach Sieler. While they completely stacked their defensive line room with free agent additions, the cheap one-year deals likely meant Sieler would have been a double-team target for opposing teams.
Presumably, Campbell will effectively take the place of Wilkins on the defensive line. And there is reason to believe this is game-changing signing that enhances the Dolphins chances of contending in the postseason
At age 37, Campbell’s 2023 campaign with the Atlanta Falcons was a bounce back season for him after a couple down years in Baltimore. He started all 17 games for the Falcons, recording 56 tackles, 6.5 sacks, and 10 tackles for loss. Those stats are exactly identical to his 2019 campaign with the Jacksonville Jaguars, a year in which he was selected to the Pro Bowl.
After beginning his career with the Arizona Cardinals, Campbell’s most dominant stint came with Jacksonville where he unquestionably played his best football. During his first season with the Jaguars in 2017, Campbell recorded 67 tackles, 14.5 sacks, and 14 tackles for loss. He was runner up for NFL Defensive Player of the Year and continued his stellar play in his next two seasons with the Jaguars.
Campbell then spent the next three years with Anthony Weaver, who was the Baltimore Ravens’ defensive line coach from 2021 to 2023 before becoming the Dolphins’ defensive coordinator earlier this year.
“Anthony Weaver is a guy I’m very familiar with, [have] a lot of respect for, and he’s a big reason I really believe in this team,” Campbell said. “I know the kind of work ethic he has and just the kind of man he is, and I really think this defense is going to be a top – I don’t want to go too crazy, but it’s going to be a really good defense.”
Even though Campbell is to turn 38 this season, he has no significant injury history, something important for a Miami defense that battled injuries on all three levels last season.
Campbell’s age and experience will also serve as a major benefit to a talented but young Dolphins locker room. Outside of Tyreek Hill and Jalen Ramsey, Miami didn’t have much deep playoff experience a season ago, which was evident in their playoff loss to the Chiefs.
But the most important aspect of the Campbell signing is that it will take away the shock of losing Wilkins and Davis.
“The [Super Bowl] is a big reason why I signed here, because I feel like there’s a really good opportunity here, very talented team,” Campbell said. “I believe that I can help, given who I am today I think I can bring a lot of value.”
