Jihaad Campbell already has the kind of physical traits that jump off the page. He’s fast, strong and built to erase space in a hurry, which is why the Eagles believe the second-year linebacker can turn into a difference-maker. But the next step for Campbell is less about raw tools and more about putting all the pieces together when the ball is snapped.
Campbell said Wednesday that he understands what he has to do to reach that level.
“I know I have the skill set and the instincts, too,” Campbell said Wednesday. “So it’s more so like, if you see it, just go.
Sometimes it might have to be patience or whatever, but more so that when you see it, go, don’t overthink it, don’t stutter, don’t do nothing that will bring me down in that circumstance. It’s more so just play ball.
Execute and play ball. Like I know how to play ball.”
Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio sees the progress, but he’s also not pretending Campbell is finished product yet. Fangio said Thursday that the linebacker is moving in the right direction, while noting the setbacks that came with injuries and lost offseason time.
“He’s coming. He’s coming along,” Fangio told reporters on Thursday. “Not where we want him to be as a final product, but him missing the last two offseasons and being with the injuries stuff has set him back some, but he’s getting better and better every day.”
That demanding eye is no accident. Fangio has coached linebackers with gold-standard resumes, including Ray Lewis and Patrick Willis, and he made clear that his expectations for Campbell are shaped by that background.
“He’s good in the open field,” Fangio said about Campbell’s strengths. “He’s athletic.
He can run, but I feel good about him. I don’t want to give the wrong impression here, but I got spoiled early in my career.
Do you guys ever hear of the ‘Dome Patrol?’ The bar is high.
The bar is high for me.”
Campbell’s path hasn’t been smooth. The Eagles drafted him in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, and he was soft-benched for Nakobe Dean around the middle of the 2025 season.
Then came another setback this offseason, when shoulder surgery kept him out of the 2026 OTAs and mandatory minicamp. Over the last two years, he has had surgeries on both shoulders.
Campbell didn’t sugarcoat that part of the job.
“Of course, nobody thinks that the journey of a football player is always going to be rainbows, cupcakes and sunshine,” Campbell said. “You’re going to have some dark days, you’re going to have some dog days.
You’re going to have to just push through and always persevere and always just overcome anything that comes your way. At the end of the day, I’m just where my feet are at.
We got a game. I’m coming on Sunday.
Just focusing on this day. We finish practice, go home, watch film, come back the next day sharp.”
Now, with Dean gone, Campbell is back in the starting role and positioned to open the season with a heavy workload. The Eagles face the Washington Commanders on Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field, and Campbell could be in line for a significant showing in Week 1.
The biggest shift for him, he said, is confidence.
“Just that confidence,” Campbell said about where he feels he’s improved the most since his rookie season. “Executing and knowing like, ‘Okay, this is about to be that play.’
Not thinking, ‘Okay, well this might be the play or we’re going to see these looks.’ Just eye discipline, confidence, doing the things that I have to do preparation-wise to compete and play on Sundays, Thursdays and Mondays.”
Campbell also said he’s leaning on Eagles linebackers coach Bobby King in meetings, asking plenty of questions as he tries to sharpen his game. He knows the growth has to keep coming.
“When you embrace it, you grow,” Campbell said. “That’s what I’ve just been doing, man.”
The flashes were there as a rookie. Campbell showed real promise in coverage, especially when matched up with tight ends, and he finished with 80 tackles, one interception and a forced fumble. With a larger role and more responsibility this season, the Eagles are counting on that upside to turn into steady production.
For Campbell, the target is simple.
“Just be the best version of myself every day,” Campbell said about his goals this year. “If you get caught up in the, ‘Oh, I should have or I could have or like I have to play like this or do that,’ I think it kind of goes into like a roadblock so much more.”
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