Jihaad Campbell has become one of the Philadelphia Eagles’ most glaring issues through three games, and the conversation around a potential lineup change at linebacker is only getting louder.

Think back to this offseason. The Eagles let Nakobe Dean walk in free agency, and Dean is already having what looks like a Pro Bowl season over in Las Vegas. Philadelphia chose to roll with Campbell, the same player who got benched last season when Dean came back from injury. That decision stunted Campbell’s development a bit, and right now the results on the field are not encouraging.

Campbell’s coverage struggles are impossible to ignore

Through three games, Campbell has allowed a 140.9 passer rating as the primary defender in coverage. That number is ugly no matter how you slice it. He just does not look like the same player. Whether he’s still dealing with lingering shoulder issues or something else is affecting his play, the tape and the numbers tell the same story. He’s struggling.

Now, I’m not sitting here saying Jihaad Campbell is playing for his Eagles job tomorrow. But if the next couple of games look anything like the first three, the coaching staff has to seriously consider making a move. You can’t keep trotting a guy out there who is getting torched in coverage and expect this defense to hold up.

Jeremiah Trotter Jr. has earned a look

Here’s the thing. The Eagles have a viable option sitting right there on the bench. Jeremiah Trotter Jr. looked electric during training camp and the preseason. We talked all summer about how competitive the linebacker battle was going to be, and Trotter was a big reason why. Yeah, he was a fifth-round pick, so he wasn’t the first option out of the gate. But he has genuinely improved over the last couple of seasons, and everything we saw in August suggested he’s more than capable of handling starter-level reps.

I said it during camp, and I think it holds weight now: Jeremiah Trotter Jr. is ready to be a starter in the NFL. Zack Baun can absolutely hold it down on his side, and if you pair him with a guy like Trotter who brings that energy and that improved coverage ability, this linebacking corps could look a whole lot different.

The Eagles invested in Jihaad Campbell as their guy. They made the decision to move on from Nakobe Dean and bet on Campbell’s upside. That’s fine. Front offices make those calls, and sometimes they don’t work out the way you hope. But the worst thing this coaching staff could do is ride a struggling player into the ground out of stubbornness when the answer might already be in the building.

Give Campbell a couple more games to figure it out. That’s fair. But if the coverage numbers stay where they are and the defense keeps leaking plays over the middle, Trotter has to get his shot. Simple as that.