When linebacker Jihaad Campbell was selected in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles, many fans saw it as another Howie Roseman heist, and they were right.
Campbell had an impressive rookie season as he finished with 80 tackles, three pass deflections, two tackles for loss, one quarterback hit, one interception, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery in 17 games. After concerns with his health entering the NFL season, Campbell quickly proved himself to be a bright star on defense and was even named to PFWA's All-Rookie team for 2025.
Many are now wondering how he will follow up that great first year with his 2026 campaign. Pro Football Focus's Dalton Wasserman shared his list of one player on each team who is an early candidate to have a breakout season in 2026, with Campbell representing the Eagles.
"Campbell got his opportunity to start in the absence of Nakobe Dean early in the season and performed very well. His playing time diminished when Dean returned, but Dean is set to be a free agent this offseason. Across his 10 starts, Campbell earned an excellent 82.1 PFF overall grade while missing just four tackles. He should soon become a mainstay in the Eagles’ defense alongside Zack Baun."
Jihaad Campbell is ready for a breakout 2026 season with Eagles
This offseason, the Eagles have to decide on what they are going to do with Dean being a free agent. Depending on his asking price, it might be too hard to bring him back.
Throughout Eagles general manager Howie Roseman's career, he has been known for moving on from linebackers after a few years and not re-signing them, with the exception of Baun, who was an All-Pro in 2024, so that's hard to argue against that. Campbell's performance in 2025 makes it a lot easier for the Eagles to move on from Dean and save that money for other key positions.
The Eagles saw Campbell do everything from dropping back into coverage to stopping the run. Fans would love to see more of Campbell coming off the edge to pressure the quarterback more often in 2026, as Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio wanted to make it easier on the rookie by keeping him inside.
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Philly still has tough decisions to make in the offseason, but Campbell makes it easier to move on from players because of his skill set. The Eagles have a talented linebacker who could have an even bigger season in Year 2.