The path to playing time for Philadelphia Eagles first-round rookie Jihaad Campbell should be immediate in 2025, as there’s still no known timetable for Nakobe Dean’s return from his playoff-ending PCL tear suffered in mid-January.
The potential issue for Philly? Campbell is recovering from offseason surgery himself to repair a torn labrum, and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio revealed during spring minicamp that Campbell won’t be a full-go until August, at best.
Fangio is a stickler for training camp reps when it comes to young players. Just ask Cooper DeJean, who was stuck in the dog house early in 2024 due to an offseason hamstring injury that led to a slow start in camp.
The Eagles gave themselves an insurance policy by adding fifth-round rookie Smael Mondon Jr. on Day 3 of the draft, and second-year pro Jeremiah Trotter Jr. is also still in the mix. But if the Eagles feel like Campbell is behind schedule this summer, they have plenty of salary cap space to make a free agent addition.
Team insider Anthony DiBona of The Philly Special Show believes the team could reunite with veteran LB Kyzir White, who’s still available after racking up 137 tackles for coach Jon Gannon and the Arizona Cardinals last season. White spent one season with the Eagles in 2022, when Gannon was Philly’s defensive coordinator.
The Eagles organization and several members of the coaching staff are familiar with Kyzir White.
White started 17 games for the Cardinals last season, as he recorded 137 total tackles, nine tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and one interception. While he would likely prefer to land a starting job elsewhere, the New Jersey native could opt to return close to home and add much-needed experience and depth for the Eagles at LB.
— Anthony DiBona, The Philly Special Show
It’s a bit surprising that White remains unsigned at this point in the offseason, but he just turned 29 in March and is coming off a season-ending biceps injury in 2024. At this point, he might be seeking a one-year deal to prove he’s healthy, and that scenario would fit GM Howie Roseman’s approach to 2025 perfectly. Philly hasn’t signed an outside free agent to a single multi-year contract this offseason.
That approach has the Eagles in an intriguing spot coming off last year’s Super. Bowl run. Similar to last season, the team will be relying on a bunch of players with new or increased roles. They’re pretty thin at EDGE, inside linebacker, safety and even cornerback with the start of training camp now less than a month away.
In the wake of the Bryce Huff trade, it feels like a depth move (or two) on defense is coming. Linebacker could jump to the top of the list if Campbell is forced to miss valuable reps at the start of camp.
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