While he may not be with the team anymore, Calais Campbell has kept tabs on the Jacksonville Jaguars even since joining the Baltimore Ravens. As one of the league’s more likable faces, he still has several friends on the roster, especially on the defensive side.
When the Jags return to their training facility, Campbell will also have one of his former coaches from Baltimore in the building, Joe Cullen, who is now the team’s defensive coordinator. On Thursday, Campbell was asked about the Jags’ outlook on The Jake Asman Show and expressed that he was excited to see where the Jags go heading forward.
“Yeah, you know, I’m excited for them. I mean, the defensive coordinator [Cullen] was my D-line coach this year, so I’m happy to see my coach get some love, and end up in a place where I know I’m familiar with the guys,” Campbell said this week.
“He has some beasts like Myles Jack and Josh Allen. I mean, those are two of my best friends and guys I have a lot of respect for, so I can’t wait to see them have some success and go out there and create a standard of excellence in Jacksonville that I tried to get going when I was there during my time.”
While 2021 will mark Cullen’s first year as a defensive coordinator, it won’t be his first with the Jags. He was once their defensive line coach under Jack Del Rio from 2010-12. However, after bouncing around the league and settling in Baltimore, he’s finally earned a defensive coordinator job with Jacksonville and many fans are eager to see the changes he brings.
As for Myles Jack and Josh Allen, they made a lot of history with Campbell when he was a Jag. Jack was apart of a 2017 “Sacksonville” unit with Campbell which was one of the most ferocious units in the last decade and garnered 55 sacks. In 2019, Campbell took Allen under his wing and aided him to a Pro Bowl season where he registered 10.5 sacks, a rookie-high for Jacksonville.
Campbell also discussed the Jags’ acquisition of coach Urban Meyer and told Asman that he was one of the most respected names in football. Afterward, Campbell discussed Trevor Lawrence, who is expected to come in and be the Jags’ future in April.
“I enjoy watching [Lawrence]. He can make every throw. He just has a very special arm, and he makes plays in big moments,” Campbell said.
“But, for me, he’s still gonna be a rookie and I gotta see him develop because to me, you can hype anybody up, but when you got to get on that field and play on Sundays and lead the team. You got to earn that respect, so I’m not gonna give him too much love just yet. But I think he has a chance to be special, but I gotta see him earn it.”
If Lawrence is the player most have projected him to be, it would be the blessing Jags fans have long needed. A successful beginning in the NFL could also put Lawrence in a situation where he eventually crosses paths with Campbell, as the Ravens have been a consistently good team for quite some time.