The Detroit Lions are in need of some pass-rushing assistance alongside of Aidan Hutchinson.
The Lions did sign defensive end Marcus Davenport in free agency, so that should definitely help, but you get the feeling that Detroit needs another guy in the trenches.
That’s why Bleacher Report’s NFL Scouting Department is urging the Lions to pursue free-agent defensive lineman Calais Campbell.
Campbell is still oddly remaining on the open market in spite of having a very productive 2023 campaign with the Atlanta Falcons.
The veteran played in every game this past season, registering 56 tackles, 6.5 sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. He added a safety for good measure.
Campbell, who played his collegiate football at the University of Miami, was originally selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft.
He spent the first nine years of his career with the Cardinals, making back-to-back trips to the Pro Bowl in 2014 and 2015.
However, Campbell didn’t really break out until he got to the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2017, when he racked up 67 tackles, 14.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and a defensive touchdown. He made the Pro Bowl, earned a First-Team All-Pro selection and finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting that season.
Campbell went on to spend three seasons with the Jaguars, earning three straight Pro Bowl appearances. He then joined the Baltimore Ravens in 2020, where he notched his fourth consecutive trip to the Pro Bowl. He spent three years with the Ravens before linking up with the Falcons last offseason.
Now 37 years old, Campbell is certainly not the same elite pass rusher from his days in Jacksonville. But he is still clearly productive, as evidenced by how well he played in Atlanta last year.
If the Lions sign Campbell, he would join a defensive front that also includes Hutchinson, Davenport and Alim McNeill. It would suddenly give Detroit one of the more formidable front sevens in football, and would absolutely improve a defense that ranked just 19th in the NFL in 2023.
The Lions are legitimate Super Bowl contenders, and they have plenty of cap room left over. There is still time for them to add pieces to bolster their roster, and Campbell seems like he would be a great fit.
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