Calais Campbell won’t be in an Arizona Cardinals jersey this season, but the more pressing question is, will he be missed?
The NFL is a business. Because of that, sometimes it doesn’t seem fair. Regardless if you’re an NFL player or one of the players’ biggest fans, the reasoning for an individual leaving an organization may never make sense. Calais Campbell was one of those players as he left the Arizona Cardinals this offseason in free agency.
A fan favorite in the desert, he spent nine full seasons playing for Arizona. Drafted in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft, Campbell’s value was never shown much in the box score. After all, he never had a season with more than nine sacks and he said his goodbye’s with just 56.5 to his name.
To be fair, Campbell was never the type to speed rush the quarterback. And the systems he played in never really gave him the ability to grow into that type of player. What made Campbell so special was his play against his run and his value as a leader on one of the NFL’s most fearsome run defenses for so many years.
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Campbell is suiting up for a new team this fall. that team is the Jacksonville Jaguars. A young, hungry team with a new head coach looking to gain some type of respect amongst the NFL circle and fans across the world, Campbell will take those leadership qualities that made him the professional he is and look to be one of those pieces that turns the Jaguars around.
With Campbell’s departure comes a new era on the defensive line and an opportunity for someone to take over. That opportunity is all-but certain to go to Robert Nkemdiche, and it’ll be his to lose.
You have to say that with caution, however. He’s just over a year removed from free-falling at the top of draft boards to 29th overall, right in Arizona’s laps. He’s also just a season removed from failing to consistently contribute on defense, playing in just six games and on 82 total snaps.
It’s unlikely that Nkemdiche can effectively replace Campbell in 2017. While Nkemdiche may bring a bit of life and youth to the Cardinals defense, fans and the organization will inevitably miss what Campbell brought to the table.
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Asking Nkemdiche to grow up in a span of months is a lot to ask. If anyone can do it, though, it’s head coach Bruce Arians. Regardless, I’ll buy the fact that Cardinals will miss Campbell in 2017.