The Philadelphia Eagles needed to sweat things out against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but things eventually settled down to a 31-25 final scoreline that helped the reigning Super Bowl champions move to 4-0 on the season despite all of their offseason losses.
While there are many heroes from today who deserve to be singled out for their performance, the timeliest play of the day might belong to rookie linebacker Jihaad Campbell, who intercepted Baker Mayfield in the end zone when the Bucs were driving late in this one.
Campbell was widely regarded as a steal throughout the NFL Draft process, and he is turning his potential into tangible production more and more as the season goes on. Campbell's big play is yet another feather in the cap of GM Howie Roseman, who continues to add premium talent when many of his other contenders keep struggling.
On top of that interception and his penchant for flying all around the field when needed, Campbell has become the first Eagles rookie linebacker since 1999 to force two or more fumbles in the first four games of the season. Once again, it looks like Roseman's refusal to overthink things has helped keep
Jihaad Campbell saves Eagles with clutch INT in dominant Week 4 game
Campbell was a player that almost no one believed would be available when the Eagles were picking at No. 31 overall. Given the thin inside linebacker class in the 2025 Draft and Campbell's pedigree as a former top recruit, the fact that he even made it out of the top 20 picks is a surprise.
Campbell has stepped in well for the injured Nakobe Dean. If Campbell keeps performing at this clip, and All-Pro linebacker Zack Baun replicates his standout showing from yesteryear, there's a good chance that the inside linebacker spot is locked in for the next half-decade.
Roseman's strategy of drafting players that has consistently been rated highly in the process before the usual pre-draft nitpicking hurts their stock seems to be working out well. Leaning on blue blood programs like Georgia or Campbell's Alabama has proven to be equally fruitful.
Read more: It's just four games but the Eagles' offense still draws massive concerns
Campbell has slotted into this Eagles defense like an absolute glove, and all Roseman had to do was decide to use a first-round pick on a player that put up premium numbers alongside supreme athleticism for a five-star program. Isn't this NFL Draft thing easy or what?