The major headline coming out of the Green Bay Packers minicamp this week is their situation at the quarterback position. Unless you live under a rock, you know that the reigning MVP and the Packers star quarterback Aaron Rodgers didn’t report to camp this week. However, the Packers did make a transaction this week and it is one that should bring necessary depth to their inside linebacker unit. The De’Vondre Campbell signing provides veteran insurance for the Packers inside linebacker group.
De’Vondre Campbell Signing Brings Experience to an Inexperienced Position
Rodgers and former first-round pick Jordan Love grabbed most of the headlines from this past week’s minicamp. But news of the Packers signing of De’Vondre Campbell should also get some attention.
This off-season, the only move the Packers made at inside linebacker came through the NFL draft. General manager Brian Gutekunst selected Boston College inside linebacker Isaiah McDuffie in the sixth round. McDuffie is an athletic linebacker who should provide help for Maurice Drayton’s special teams unit. However, the McDuffie selection doesn’t guarantee better play at inside linebacker.
Heading into 2021, the Packers have some questions at inside linebacker. The Packers are hoping the addition of De’Vondre Campbell will help answer some of those questions.
Depth Behind Krys Barnes and Kamal Martin
Gutekunst and the Packers are banking on two of their young inside linebackers to make the next jump in their maturation in 2021. Krys Barnes and Kamal Martin both saw extensive time on the Packers defense last season. Their play in 2020 has the Packers believing that they might be long-term answers at the position.
Barnes was the biggest unexpected story to come from the Packers defense in 2020. The undrafted free agent out of UCLA was the opening starter at inside linebacker for Green Bay last season. Being a starter as an undrafted free agent is hard enough, but to do it without a “normal” training camp is even more impressive.
Barnes started 10 regular-season games for the Packers in 2020. In those 10 games, he had 49 solo tackles, five of them for a loss, one forced fumble, and one sack. To go along with that, he was the Packers defensive caller, something that is pretty uncommon for a rookie undrafted free agent.
Martin also saw time on the Packers defense during his rookie campaign. The 2020 fifth-round pick started six games for the Packers in 2020. During that time, he registered 17 solo tackles, three for a loss, and one sack. Martin displayed good speed and provided some big hits for the Packers defense.
While both linebackers provided glimpses in their potential, both did deal with injuries throughout the season. Those injuries forced both players to miss time for the Packers. That is why the De’Vondre Campbell signing could be very important when it comes to the Packers defense in 2021.
Campbell Provides a Reliable Insurance Policy
De’Vondre Campbell will be entering his sixth season in the NFL. In 2016, the Atlanta Falcons spent a fourth-round pick on Campbell. He spent four seasons with the Falcons. In those four years, he started 54 games.
Campbell signed with the Arizona Cardinals prior to the 2020 season. In his one season with the Cardinals, he registered 69 solo tackles, seven of them for a loss, and two sacks. He had a very productive 2020 season, which made it surprising that the Cardinals didn’t re-sign him.
The biggest standout that comes from Campbell’s history is his ability to be available. In each of his past four seasons, Campbell has played a full 16 game regular-season schedule. His ability to stay healthy and be available to play should come in handy for the Packers. If Barnes and Martin once again have to deal with injuries, Campbell will be a very solid insurance policy.
An Upgrade Over the Other Backup Linebackers
Campbell’s addition provides an instant upgrade at the backup inside linebacker position. McDuffie’s playing time will most likely come on special teams. That will leave Campbell battling Oren Burks and Ty Summers for playing time behind Barnes and Martin.
If Campbell plays as he has, it shouldn’t be much of a battle with Burks and Summers. Burks, a former third-round pick by Gutekunst has been a massive disappointment. Even with the play at inside linebacker being suspect, Burks has failed to break into the starting lineup. It got so bad last season, the Packers shifted Burks to outside linebacker. But that experiment didn’t last long, as it was reported that he has been shifted back to inside linebacker; a position that he has failed to show any promise at.
Similar to Burks, most of Summers’ playing time has come on special teams. Because of injuries, he has been forced into action on defense. However, when forced into duty, Summers’ play has been very underwhelming.
Campbell should be the Packers number three inside linebacker going into this season. If McDuffie is as good as the Packers expect he will be on special teams, which will leave Burks and Summers fighting for the last spot at inside linebacker.
The So-Called Joe Barry Magic Touch
New Packers defensive coordinator Joe Barry has experience coaching inside linebackers. Earned or not, Barry has been given a lot of credit for being a so-called “linebacker guru.” That mostly comes from when he was the linebackers coach for the Los Angeles Rams and his coaching of inside linebacker Cory Littleton.
However, Packers fans might want to pump the brakes on that talk. While Barry might be a decent-to-solid linebackers coach, his main focus should be turning around the entire Packers defensive unit. Packers inside linebackers coach Kirk Olivadotti will have the responsibility of getting the Packers inside linebacker group ready to play.
Still, the signing of De’Vondre Campbell should help bolster the play of the Packers inside linebackers. He isn’t necessarily a playmaker, something the Packers haven’t had for a long time at inside linebacker, but he is solid and reliable. With Barnes and Martin showing they could struggle with injuries, Campbell could turn out to be a very solid signing by the Packers.
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