Eagles latest front office win came gift-wrapped from the Chiefs

The rest of the NFL can blame Kansas City for handing an assist to the defending Super Bowl champions.
Super Bowl LIX: Kansas City Chiefs v Philadelphia Eagles
Super Bowl LIX: Kansas City Chiefs v Philadelphia Eagles | Kevin Sabitus/GettyImages

Everything Howie Roseman and the Philadelphia Eagles' front office touches seemingly turns to gold. It feels like the executive vice president/general manager has never made a wrong move as the team's top decision-maker. Even the most minute, under-the-radar transactions shouldn't be overlooked, like their sneaky offseason trade with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Philadelphia sent the No. 32 and No. 164 overall picks in the 2025 NFL Draft to the Chiefs to move just one spot up the board. The Eagles jumped ahead of the club they defeated in Super Bowl LIX roughly a couple of months earlier to select Alabama linebacker Jihaad Campbell. Little did Kansas City know they were doing themselves and the rest of the league a disservice by handing the defending champions their guy.

Chiefs only have themselves to blame if Jihaad Campbell is the star Eagles believe he can be

Campbell was widely considered a mid-to-late first-round pick heading into the draft. However, concerns about the left shoulder surgery he underwent following the Scouting Combine to repair a torn labrum ostensibly caused him to slide. As Roseman and the Eagles often do, they see red flags as arbitrage opportunities and couldn't risk the Chiefs operating with the same vision. Fast forward to training camp, and Philadelphia's calculus appears to be validated.

Eagles rookie LB Jihaad Campbell looks healthy at training camp

We're no medical experts here at FanSided, nor do we claim to be, but Campbell looks pretty good from clips of him at practice. Of course, it's against a dummy with accessories and a tackling prop (kidding) in a padless session, but he's moving well out there. His arm doesn't look like an issue, ripping through and hitting with power.

Days before the draft, Campbell's stock was trending down. Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer reported that he was a candidate to start the upcoming campaign on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list. Instead, the 21-year-old has been a full participant in camp after limited reps in organized team activities (OTAs).

Coming off a First-Team All-SEC season at Alabama, Campbell may make the Eagles look like geniuses (again). He wreaked havoc in all facets of opposing offenses as a junior in college, amassing 117 tackles (11.5 for loss), five sacks and two forced fumbles. Conversely, the Chiefs might look silly in the process, bypassing the chance to add a high-end prospect and letting you're direct competitor snag him.

The early returns indicate that rival scouts and executives were overreacting to Campbell's health in April, or lack thereof. Based on his Relative Athletic Score (RAS), he's one of the most physically gifted linebackers since 1987. A combination of strong genetics and age always made him likely to overcome the ailment at a much quicker rate than the average human.