Early in November, Calais Campbell came very close to rejoining the Baltimore Ravens. According to NFL Insider Ian Rapoport’s report Sunday morning, the Miami Dolphins’ starting defensive lineman was on the verge of being moved to the Ravens for a fifth-round selection around the Nov. 5 trade deadline. But everything was put on pause when he spoke with Mike McDaniel.
Campbell, a 2020–2022 Raven, spoke extensively about the situation after the Dolphins defeated the New England Patriots 34–15.
Late on Sunday afternoon, Campbell stated, “They wanted to talk to me to see where my mind was at.” “We had an excellent discussion. Mike and I discussed our current team status. We concluded that we have a possibility to produce something exceptional and that this team still has a lot of work ahead of them. But McDaniel made light of the circumstance.
The tough part about Chris [Grier’s] position is that he has to look both long-term and short-term, at the same time, what’s best for the organization,” McDaniel joked on Sunday, adding, “I may or may not have thrown an adult temper tantrum.” We then depend on one another for tasks that I must complete, such as the locker rook and what one person can accomplish for a whole team.
The Dolphins were just days away from a humiliating 30-27 loss to the Buffalo Bills, which dropped them to 2-6, at the time of the first chat. The previous game against the Arizona Cardinals had also finished in a close loss, but Tua Tagovailoa had made a comeback. In contrast, the Ravens were 6-3. Despite the Dolphins’ dismal postseason prospects, McDaniel and Campbell maintained faith in the group.
Campbell stated that he was “appreciative that they included me in the discussions” and that “we felt like we had a good shot to get back into the fight.” “Based on the conversation we had, everything has gone as planned thus far.”
The Dolphins have defeated the Los Angeles Rams, the Las Vegas Raiders, and the Patriots three times in a row since their loss to the Bills on November 3rd, bringing their record to 5-6. The Dolphins have life despite the impending Thanksgiving primetime game against the Green Bay Packers, thanks in large part to veterans like Campbell who have stressed the value of remaining calm during the turbulent season.
Campbell stated that the Packers game is a chance “to put ourselves back in playoff contention.” However, none of that is particularly important. Playing good, technical football that will put us in a position to win ball games is all that matters.
In his seventeenth NFL season, Campbell appears to have discovered the fountain of youth. Throughout the season, the future Hall of Famer has recorded four sacks, nine tackles for loss, and seven quarterback hits. His contributions to the Dolphins go beyond his on-field performance; the six-time Pro Bowler has become a leader in the locker room.
“Being with Calais this year and just the energy, the attitude, and the mindset he brings every week, there is no one’s game I’ve come to respect more than his up front on the d-line,” defensive tackle Zach Sieler stated on Sunday. “He is who he is today and doing what he is doing at the age of 17 because it is unmatched.” Campbell was elected captain by the Dolphins in his debut season in part because of this.
“I believe he has a significant impact on the defensive line room, the defense as a whole, and the team,” McDaniel stated on Wednesday. It’s uncommon for a man to reach this point and then be elected captain with such conviction. I believe that many athletes who hadn’t been fortunate enough to be around someone with the kind of consistent success he has had have been significantly impacted by the way he conducts himself as a professional.
Campbell played for the Atlanta Falcons in 2023 before joining the Dolphins. He spent time with the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Cardinals, who took him in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft, in addition to playing with the Ravens for the previous three years.
