Calais Campbell: Jaguars to sign former Cardinals lineman
Former Pro Bowl defensive lineman Calais Campbell is leaving the Cardinals and will sign with the Jaguars.
I know this sounds crazy, but the Jaguars are the winners of free agency again, at least in the early goings on. First, the team went all-in and added A.J. Bouye to the secondary. Now, Jacksonville is set to rebuild the defensive line with the addition of former Cardinals Pro Bowler Calais Campbell, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
After considering Denver, Calais Campbell is going to sign a 4-year, $60 million deal that includes $30M gtd with Jacksonville, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 9, 2017
Campbell has been a force in the middle for the Arizona defense in each of the past nine seasons. Campbell has only missed 18 career starts and was inactive for six career games. He is so impressive because he weighs 282 pounds, but has speed and ability to rush the passer off of the edge. Of course, at that weight, he also has the power to be a dominant force on the inside.
Campbell is 30 years old now, but last season but up eight sacks for the Cardinals. Last offseason the Jaguars went out and paid one of the bigger interior threats in the league with Malik Jackson. In nickel situations, the Jaguars can line the two up next to each other. They can also line Campbell up all over the line, and bring in a plethora of lineman to the rotation.
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The Jaguars may have had to overpay for Campbell. Campbell was a highly sought after player, and almost chose less money to go to his hometown team, the Denver Broncos. However, the money won Campbell over, and the hope now is that he will repay the Jaguars by completing a completely revamped front from two seasons ago.
The Jaguars don’t want to only win free agency, but they need to win some games and the addition of Campbell will go a long way toward making a push toward a winning record.