Despite the lack of team success on the Jacksonville Jaguars’ part, Calais Campbell has had a very good 2020 when looking at January and February. Within two weeks he went from winning the defensive MVP award at the Pro Bowl to winning the Walter Payton Man of the Year award, proving he’s good both on and off the field.
Wednesday, Campbell received another accolade (minor this time) as he was named the league’s 26th best player by the standards off Pro Football Focus, who released their annual top-101 players list. His place on the list made him the only Jag to make PFF’s top-101 and a big reason for his recognition was his skills against the run.
The winner of PFF’s Best Run Defender Award for 2019, Calais Campbell continues to play the best football of his career over the age of 30. Campbell had the best run-defense grade of any edge rusher (90.6) and also added 71 total pressures as a pass-rushing force for the Jaguars. Campbell isn’t always deployed as a true edge rusher for the Jags, as he moves around the defensive line and uses his size and versatility to make impact plays from a more interior alignment, as well. Regardless of where he lines up, he is a problem for offensive lines and blocking schemes to handle.
It’s stats like the ones mentioned by PFF that make a strong case as to why Campbell likely will be returning despite his hefty cap hit of over $15 million. Simply put, he’s the heart and soul of not just the defense, but the team in general. With more additions around him, things have a chance to turn around for the Jags’ defense, and that’s likely the approach general manager Dave Caldwell will take this offseason.
Campbell ultimately finished the 2020 season with 56 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, and 6.5 sacks in the regular season. Despite being the team’s oldest player at 33 years of age, it appears many fans feel he can continue to have success in 2020, but again, the team will need to do their part and make upgrades around him.