Packers: A Closer Look at De’Vondre Campbell & What he Adds to Defense

After the NFL Draft was over, in addition to Green Bay Packers GM Brian Gutekunst mentioning that the team would look into veteran quarterback options, he also told us that linebacker was on their radar as well–and understandably so.

While Krys Barnes and Kamal Martin are two promising players, both only have one year of NFL experience under their belts, and both did miss time in 2020 with injuries. From there, as we work our way down the depth chart, we quickly run into quite a bit of uncertainty.

At this point in his career, unless he is revitalized in this new Joe Barry defense, we know who Oren Burks is–a primary special teams player. The same could be said for Ty Summers, and after those two are rookie sixth-round pick Isaiah McDuffie and De’Jon Harris, who was a practice squad player last season.

If the Green Bay Packers entered the season with Barnes and Martin as their top-2 options, I do believe they would be fine — although they will likely take some lumps along the way — but due to the inexperience, the potential for injuries, and overall lack of depth at the position, the Packers have recently signed veteran De’Vondre Campbell.

This will be Campbell’s sixth NFL season after being a fourth-round draft pick by Atlanta in 2016. If anything, he has been very durable over his career — and we all know how valuable that is — appearing in all 48 games during his final three seasons with the Falcons and starting all 16 games in 2020 with Arizona.

During those final three years with the Falcons, Campbell tallied 315 total tackles, 13 of which were for a loss, and he also added 5.5 sacks as well as 31 pressures along with four forced fumbles. In coverage, he would come away with two interceptions and nine pass breakups. With the Cardinals, Campbell ended the season with two sacks, six pressures, and 102 tackles. He also added three pass breakups and gave up 9.8 yards per catch on 58 targets.

While lining up in the box has been his primary responsibility over his career, Campbell has also moved around the formation, taking an additional 868 snaps along the defensive line and 535 in the slot, according to PFF ($$).

For a closer look at Campbell’s game, I reached out to Andy Gallagher, who covers the Falcons for Blogging Dirty as well as the NFL Draft for With the First Pick, and asked him a few questions that will provide us with some added insight along with what Campbell can bring to this Green Bay Packers’ defense.

What are the strengths of Campbell’s game?

Andy: He can be effective when he doesn’t have too much on his plate. Generally speaking, he works well as a run defender and can contribute on early downs. He has consistently produced and racked up piles. He has the size, speed, and length that you look for at the position. He’ll never be a full-time pass-rusher, but in a situational role or as a blitzer he can cause some problems.

Where can Campbell improve, or what does he struggle with?

Andy: Campbell has never been a player with great instincts. He can struggle to recognize the play, and it leads to him being caught out of position more than he should be in coverage despite having the athleticism to do it. Same mental lapses can lead to him not correctly filling gaps, too, and that side of his game has never really developed.

What were his primary responsibilities in the Atlanta defense?

Andy: Campbell mainly played the weakside linebacker spot for the Falcons but did spend a bit of time at strong-side linebacker. He was a three-down player in Dan Quinn’s cover 3 defense pretty much from the point he was drafted and consistently had among the highest number of snaps on the defense.

What can Green Bay Packers fans expect to see from Campbell?

Andy: Packers fans can expect a player who will be a solid starter. He doesn’t always play to the level you’d expect from a player with his physical attributes, but he’s versatile and shouldn’t let the team down. When you look at the end of the season, he will have compiled decent stats. There will be coverage issues and probably a number of third-down conversions in his direction, though. He’ll likely never be good enough that the team isn’t looking for upgrades but can be plugged in and perform to an NFL standard.

Note: I want to thank Andy for taking the time to answer these questions for us. Be sure to follow Andy on Twitter and follow his work at Blogging Dirty and With the First Pick.