The Green Bay Packers seemed to be all set in the interior of Jonathan Gannon's defensive line. That said, you can never have too much depth and good players, and even the best things in the world can be improved.
That's why head coach Matt LaFleur and general manager Brian Gutekunst might welcome a great problem at Lambeau Field. According to multiple insiders, Anthony Campbell is making a name for himself in training camp.
The former undrafted free agent has been one of the biggest storylines of the first days of training camp. Once looking like a long shot to make the 53-man roster, he might actually crash the party after all.
Anthony Campbel might be the Packers' next steal
"Anthony freakin' Campbell. All 6-6 of Anthony freakin' Campbell, by the way. Two more passes deflected at the line of scrimmage," Andy Herman said on the Pack-A-Day Podcast. "I've seen a couple plays where he's held up pretty good in run defense. I've not seen much from a pass-rush standpoint yet from Anthony Campbell, but he's got three passes batted down in the past two practices."
As things stand now, rookie Chris McClellan, the recently signed Javon Hargave, and the just-extended Devonte Wyatt should all be locks to make the roster. Then, Warren Brinson and Karl Brooks could be next in line, with Nazir Stackhouse and Jonathan Ford on the outside looking in.
Campbell's ascent and ability to make plays at the line of scrimmage have turned some heads, and it should probably put him ahead of both of them. He's batted four passes in the first three days of training camp, so there might be a role for him on special teams and not just as a situational run-stopper.
Campbell played at Louisiana-Monroe and the University of Miami, playing sparingly for the Hurricanes and being mostly overlooked in the pre-draft process. Then, a strong performance at Miami's Pro Day, plus his sturdy 6-foot-6 frame, were impressive enough for him to land an audition with the Seattle Seahawks.
He spent some time with the eventual Super Bowl champions' practice squad and even played a handful of snaps in the preseason. The Packers signed him off the Seahawks' practice squad ahead of the Wild Card round loss to the Chicago Bears, and they signed him to their offseason roster almost right away.
This team is facing some questions on defense, given that they'll have a new defensive coordinator calling the shots and that Micah Parsons won't be available for at least the first month of the season.
But with Hargrave being old and potentially brittle at this point in his career, McLellan potentially not being ready, and Wyatt being more of a one-dimensional guy, who's to say Campbell won't only make the roster but actually have a role in Jonathan Gannon's defense? He's facing an uphill road, but he's already gotten off to a strong start.
Add us as a preferred source on Google