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It didn’t take long for rookie linebacker Jihaad Campbell to make an impact for the Philadelphia Eagles, as in Week 1, he might have just been the team’s best defensive player.
Now granted, part of that might be because the team’s defensive cornerstone, Jalen Carter, was ejected before playing a snap, changing up the entire strategy Vic Fangio had heading into the game. But Campbell, who wasn’t even a lock to be healthy enough to play in Week 1 mere months back, did a little bit of everything for the Eagles in his NFL debut, recording three tackles, a pass defensed, and a forced fumble while playing 56 of a possible 61 defensive snaps.
These efforts were noticed by the fine graders over at PFF, too, as they handed Campbell a defensive grade of 88.3 for his efforts, the highest mark on the Eagles, the Cowboys, and thus the NFL as a whole through one game.
The highest-graded defender on TNF:
Jihaad Campbell – 88.3 pic.twitter.com/ZHgJWmNuAy
— PFF (@PFF) September 5, 2025
Lining up at the off-ball linebacker spot opposite Zach Baun for most of the game, Campbell proved why he was considered one of the very best players in the 2025 NFL Draft class. He looked great against the run, showcased some of the pass-rushing prowess that earned him Micah Parsons comps coming out of Alabama, and was even a force in coverage, with the 21-year-old running downfield like a slot cornerback to blow up a deep pass to Brevyn Spann-Ford.
Fortunately for Campbell, the cavalry is coming for the reigning and defending Super Bowl Champions in Week 2, with Carter – most likely – returning to the field in Week 2 and newly signed pass rusher Za’Darius Smith likely to make his Eagles debut in Week 2 against the Kansas City Chiefs. While that may take some of the focus off of Campbell, if Week 1 proved anything, it sure feels like the Philadelphia might just have a favorite to win Rookie of the Year on their roster, as he checked every single box on Fangio’s test, including a few that likely weren’t even on the page.
Jihaad Campbell running the Pole in Tampa 2
We have given Vic Fangio too much power pic.twitter.com/cIgJ30mNzM
— Coach Dan Casey (@CoachDanCasey) September 5, 2025
The post The Week 1 stat that proves Eagles’ Jihaad Campbell is a Rookie of the Year favorite appeared first on ClutchPoints.
