Ravens Add to Defensive Line with Calais Campbell Signing

The NFL offseason is in a quieter lull as the calendar prepares to flip to May. We’ve seen the massive flurry of free agency moves back in March. The draft took place last week in Pittsburgh and the rush of signing undrafted players has pretty much come and gone.

Some teams have started offseason team activities while others will follow in short order. There are rookie minicamps and things of that sort on the horizon. All things considered, this is the lull of the offseason before training camps get underway in July. There are going to be free agent signings here and there as teams try to plug holes. We’ll see a few cuts and trades following June 1 as well.

On Thursday, we saw one of those veterans with name value sign with a team. Calais Campbell inked a one-year contract with the Baltimore Ravens, adding a veteran presence to the defensive line group.

Campbell Brings Experience, Production to Charm City

Campbell has been around the league seemingly forever at this point. He was selected in the second round by the Cardinals back in 2008. Campbell played for the Cardinals between 2008-16 before moving on to Jacksonville (2017-19) and Baltimore (2020-22) for productive stints. He spent 2023 with the Falcons, 2024 with the Dolphins and last season as a second tour with Arizona.

In his career, Campbell has recorded 960 tackles, 196 tackles for loss, 65 pass defenses, 117 sacks, 18 forced fumbles, 13 fumble recoveries and three interceptions. He has scored three touchdowns on fumble returns and three safeties. Campbell has earned six Pro Bowl nominations, one All-Pro first team selection and a pair of All-Pro second team selections.

Last season with the Cardinals, Campbell posted 43 tackles, nine tackles for loss, 16 QB hits, two pass defenses and 6.5 sacks. He has been durable, playing 17 games in each of the last three seasons. Conversely, he is 39 and turns 40 on September 1.

How Campbell Fits in Baltimore

Campbell is likely to see time both outside at defensive end and potentially inside at the defensive tackle spot.

Baltimore needed help in the pass rush department this season after their issues in that department a year ago. The Ravens mustered just 30 sacks a season ago with Travis Jones leading the team with five. Clearly, the Nnamdi Madubuike injury sapped some of the pressure that they were expecting to generate a season ago. He underwent neck surgery recently and is cautiously optimistic that he could see the field this season.

Baltimore has been aggressive in trying to bolster their pass rush in the offseason. The Ravens worked out a deal to acquire the Raiders’ Maxx Crosby for a pair of first-round picks only to back out of the deal less than 48 hours later. After reversing their stance on the trade, they signed Trey Hendrickson to a lucrative four-year deal. Campbell will likely be on the opposite side of Hendrickson in an effort to bolster the pass rush.

One thing we know is that Campbell won’t be a three-down kind of guy at this stage of his career. He played just 46% of snaps a year ago for the Cardinals. In fact, Campbell hasn’t played even 65% of snaps since 2019. The hope is keeping him fresh and ready to make an impact in key situations. The move is a sound one as far as bringing a veteran presence in that can be a mentor for young guys like Mike Green.

Will it lead to a Lombardi Trophy? Time will tell on that one.