The Miami Dolphins had another disappointing season in 2024, this time finishing with an 8-9 record, in second place in the AFC East (behind the Buffalo Bills) and outside of the playoffs.
They then entered this offseason with several key players hitting free agency, and while they’ve put forth a concerted effort to bring many of them back, there are still others who are unsigned weeks into the new league year.
One of those players is defensive lineman Calais Campbell, and Sports Illustrated’s Russell Baxter recently identified Campbell as a top fit for the Los Angeles Chargers in 2025.
Campbell, 38, played collegiately at Miami (FL) from 2004-07, earning First-team All-ACC honors in his third season with the Hurricanes.
The Arizona Cardinals selected Campbell in the second round (No. 50 overall) of the 2008 NFL draft and kept him around for nine seasons. During that time, he made two Pro Bowls and earned All-Pro honors twice.
Campbell landed a four-year, $60 million deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2017 and made the Pro Bowl three times, earned All-Pro honors once and won the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year in his three seasons with the team.
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Jacksonville traded Campbell to the Baltimore Ravens in 2020, and he earned his sixth Pro Bowl nomination in his first year with the team.
After spending the 2023 season with the Atlanta Falcons, Campbell joined the Dolphins on a one-year, $2 million contract. He played 58% of the team’s defensive snaps in 17 games, recording 52 tackles (12 for a loss), 12 quarterback hits, five sacks, five passes defensed and a forced fumble.
Pro Football Focus gave Campbell an 82.3 overall grade for his performance last year, ranking him seventh out of 219 qualified interior defensive linemen in 2024. He also earned an 85.9 run-defense grade (1st) and a 66.2 pass-rush grade (52nd).
At his age, Campbell isn’t a long-term solution for anybody, but he’s still one of the best in the league at his position and could be a game-changer for any team looking to break through. The Chargers fit the bill, and it’ll be hard to find a better bargain for the $7 million annually he’s expected to receive this offseason (per Spotrac).
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