His stunning All-Pro season with the Green Bay Packers in 2021 wasn’t enough to propel De’Vondre Campbell into the top 10 of off-ball linebackers, at least in the eyes of a subsection of the NFL.
In a poll of 50 NFL executives, coaches and players conducted by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Campbell failed to make the top 10 and was nothing more than an honorable mention at the linebacker position.
Powered by an incredible first season in Green Bay, Campbell earned 18 of 50 All-Pro votes and was one of three linebackers named first-team All-Pro.
In 2021, Campbell finished with the top overall grade at Pro Football Focus among full-time off-ball linebackers. He was seventh among NFL players in total tackles and first among linebackers in missed tackle percentage, and he created several big plays late in games that helped secure wins for the Packers.
Green Bay signed Campbell to a one-year deal in June of last year. A productive starter in both Atlanta and Arizona, Campbell finally turned into a star for the Packers, and the team rewarded him with a new $50 million deal.
It appears Campbell is suffering from the same problem that kept Rashan Gary out of the top 10 among edge rushers: The NFL, for the most part, wants to see a player perform at a high level for more than just a single season before crowning them as one of the league’s elite players.
Another terrific season in the middle of Joe Barry’s defense would be impossible to ignore. Campbell’s return to Green Bay provides a legitimate opportunity to solidify himself as one of the NFL’s best veteran linebackers during the 2022 season. He thrived as a free-flowing linebacker in Barry’s scheme, and now he’ll get to play behind a deep and talented defensive line with a rangy young linebacker (Quay Walker) next to him.
