Jihaad Campbell focused on doing ‘whatever it takes for us to win’ amid LB rotation with Jeremiah Trotter Jr.
Campbell and Trotter are set to rotate snaps at the linebacker spot opposite Zack Baun on Sunday vs. Carolina. The former first-round pick says he and Trotter have "a great bond."
Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio on Tuesday revealed that linebackers Jihaad Campbell and Jeremiah Trotter Jr. are set to rotate during Sunday’s game against the Panthers.
How did Campbell, the Eagles’ 2025 first-round pick, take this news? He spoke about it from his locker room stall Wednesday.
“I think it’s really just whatever it takes for us to win a football game,” Campbell said. “That’s our biggest goal right now. So whatever it takes to achieve that. We’ve got a great room. We’re just going to continue to dominate.”
Trotter, on the other hand, is eager to prove himself with an increased role.
“I’m excited. I thank God for ... the coaches giving me some more opportunity,” said the Eagles Hall of Famer’s son. “I’m going to go out there on the field and I’m just going to do what I’ve usually been doing. … Make the plays I need to make to help the defense and help my teammates. Just doing my part out there.”
This is the second straight season that the Eagles took snaps away from Campbell (he was demoted last season when Nakobe Dean returned from injury). Fangio added that the rotation would be “by series” and not based on situations.
Campbell logged five tackles in the Eagles’ Week 5 defeat to the Jaguars in London — a performance that Fangio described as “OK.” The former Alabama star from South Jersey said he did not receive an explanation from Fangio for his decision.
“No,” Campbell said. “I mean, Trots is a good player. He’s been playing great ball, too. … Just like I said, our whole room is ready for preparation, is ready for domination. So we’re good.”
Trotter, a 2024 fifth-round pick out of Clemson, recorded a team-high 15 tackles in the Eagles’ loss to the Rams in Week 4. He was filling in for Zack Baun, who was recovering from a concussion. Trotter was ejected following the opening kickoff in the Eagles’ Week 5 loss due to a scuffle.
» READ MORE: Eagles will rotate Jeremiah Trotter Jr. and Jihaad Campbell vs. Panthers; Jalyx Hunt likely out
Trotter’s locker is situated close to Campbell’s and the other linebackers’. Does Fangio’s proposed rotation create any sort of animosity between the two young LBs?
“No, it ain’t a weird situation at all,” Campbell said. “It’s a great bond. Like whatever people think the case may be, it’s not that. At the end of the day, it’s all about football, it’s about competition. I think our room, we all understand our goals and what we want to accomplish. That’s just to go out there and dominate.”
The Eagles are back from London, looking to leave the disappointment of a last-second defeat behind while choosing instead to focus on lessons they can learn from a third straight loss. And you know what? The Inquirer’s Jeff McLane actually thinks there were encouraging takeaways from the game, outcome aside. He and Mike Sielski discussed why the Eagles’ sky, despite being gray, isn’t falling just yet, and what the team can build on to if it hopes to reverse its fortunes during a key stretch of the schedule that begins Sunday. Listen here.
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