De’Vondre Campbell is quietest, best defender in entire NFL
2 min read
The Green Bay Packers struck gold last offseason when they signed MLB De’Vondre Campbell to a one-year deal at the veteran minimum. Campbell had been forgotten about by a lot of teams. He spent his first four years in the league with Atlanta but wasn’t re-signed after his rookie deal expired. He went on to sign a one-year deal with Arizona in 2020 but wasn’t re-signed. Green Bay would sign him late in the Summer before training camp. Little did Packers GM Brian Gutekunst and Head Coach Matt LaFleur know that they would be signing a future First-Team All-Pro.
The former Minnesota Golden Gopher would go on to set career highs in tackles, opponent completion percentage allowed, opposing QBR allowed, QB knockdowns and QB pressures. Campbell was the only player in the league last season to record 140+ tackles, 2+ INTs, 2+ sacks, and 5+ tackles for loss. Again, that is why he was named as a First-Team All-Pro. His story is incredible. In five of his six career seasons, he has recorded at least 90 tackles. Aside from his rookie season, he has played in at least 16 games each season. Campbell has also never played less than 73% of the snaps in any season. His stability and durability is undeniable.
Packers defensive coordinator Joe Barry worked wonders with Green Bay’s defense last season. That would not have happened without Campbell, who is the quiet leader of this top 10 unit. QB Aaron Rodgers noted how lucky the team was to have the six-year veteran on the team last season. He was rewarded with a five-year, $50M deal earlier this offseason. He will be the anchor of this Green Bay defense now and for the future. Campbell, along with Kenny Clark, Jaire Alexander, Rashan Gary, Adrian Amos, etc., will have this defense ready to take another big step this Fall.
