Final games are a big test for De'Vondre Campbell's future with the Packers
De'Vondre Campbell was the best example of why you don't invest much in the off-ball linebacker position. He was signed by the Green Bay Packers off street free agency in June, 2021, to a one-year, $2 million contract, and had a First-Team All-Pro season. The problem is that the Packers didn't learn the lesson. The […]
De'Vondre Campbell was the best example of why you don't invest much in the off-ball linebacker position. He was signed by the Green Bay Packers off street free agency in June, 2021, to a one-year, $2 million contract, and had a First-Team All-Pro season. The problem is that the Packers didn't learn the lesson.
The management thought the performance wasn't an outlier for Campbell, even though he hadn't had anything close to that level in his previous seasons for the Atlanta Falcons and Arizona Cardinals. Campbell got a five-year, $50 million extension.
He hasn't been bad since, but it certainly doesn't look like he's playing as well to justify a big-time investment. Because of all these factors, the next three weeks will be decisive for Campbell's future in Green Bay.
Contract scenarios
Campbell has made $21.464 million over the last two years with the Packers. Next year, he's slated to make $10.75 million. To get things worse, the way Green Bay has operated the salary cap makes his cap hit an important (and tough) consideration.
Right now, De'Vondre Campbell is projected to have a $14.407 million cap hit for the Packers in 2024. If he is released, the dead money will be $11.628 million.
It's hard to cut a relatively important player because of less than $3 million in savings, but the financial considerations go beyond that.
If the Packers cut Campbell in 2024, they will also open up $12.532 million in cap space in each of the following two years. It's a big difference. The longer they keep him, the bigger is the amount of money to hit the cap down the road.
Performance
De'Vondre Campbell allowed 135 passing yards in coverage against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, according to PFF. A Packers linebacker hadn't allowed so many since 2006.
Even with so many problems, he is still the best option and has the highest PFF grade among the Packers qualifying linebackers (67.0), ahead of Quay Walker (63.4) and Isaiah McDuffie (59.4). Eric Wilson is better than everyone else (73.9), but he doesn't have enough defensive snaps to qualify.
The questions remain, though. Campbell is the 45th highest-graded linebacker out of 79 players. So the fact that he is the best among the Packers players at the position doesn't mean he's good enough. Furthermore, he's 30 years old.
Coaching staff
One could argue that De'Vondre Campbell isn't a good fit for Joe Barry's system, which demands a lot of its linebackers in terms of coverage. But Campbell's best season in 2021 came exactly under Barry, and he played really well as a coverage backer. That was his calling card. Maybe it was just an outlier, maybe he's getting older.
Either way, the final decision would probably depend on who the Packers defensive coordinator in 2024 will be. If Barry is retained, they might want to keep Campbell because of his familiarity with the system, or release him because he's regressed. If Barry is let go, the new coordinator would have to evaluate if the veteran is a good fit or not.
To justify his price tag, Campbell has to play better. And these final three games of the season will be a huge opportunity to show he can still be a positive factor for the team, independent of what direction the defense will take moving forward.
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