Ravens DE Calais Campbell is dominating in practice and displaying tremendous leadership
It is nearly impossible to not hear Calais Campbell on the field with his famous deep raspy voice echoing from one side to the next and he’s extremely hard to miss when he’s not winning the leverage battle while engaged in a drill because he’s tied with Pro Bowl right tackle Orlando Brown Jr for the tallest player on the roster. However, a trait of the five-time Pro Bowl defensive end that can’t be measured or recorded in decibels is his ability as a leader.
While it was expected that the Ravens’ prized offseason acquisition would be a handful for the offensive line to deal with in full-team drills but entering his 13th season in the league and first in Baltimore, Campbell is already proving himself as a leader to his new teammates and is being a tremendous asset to the young players, especially the rookies.
The Ravens drafted a pair of rookie defensive linemen this year by taking Texas A&M’s Justin Madubuike in the third round and Texas Tech’s Broderick Washington Jr in the fifth. Campbell was wired for Tuesday’s practice and was recorded giving words of encouragement to both rookies in individual drills. The video also captured him taking Madubuike aside and sharing how he observed how he needed to be more active and violent with his hands.
Campbell was the 2019 recipient of the Walter Peyton Man of the Year Award and is well respected around the league, not just in the previous two teams that he’s played for—Arizona Cardinals and Jacksonville Jaguars.
Adding him to the team was not only a smart football move and an absolute steal for what they had to trade to get him—2020 fifth-round pick—but he could have a similar galvanizing impact on the defense this year that veteran running back Mark Ingram had on the Ravens’ record-setting offense in 2019 during his first year with the team.
In addition to becoming the team’s top running back after signing a three-year deal worth $15 million last March, Ingram became an instant fan favorite and one of the most prominent leaders on the team on and off the field. Campbell is already leading by example with his play and intensity in practice and with his words as one of the most vocal veterans in both individual and full team drills according to reports.
