The Eagles’ rookie came back from injury earlier than expected, and he’s excited to be on the field getting work at both ILB positions.
After the Eagles’ training camp practice on Saturday, first-round pick Jihaad Campbell spoke to reporters for the first time since the spring. Despite being listed as a limited participant in the first three practices, Campbell will be cleared enough to take part in the team’s first padded practice on Monday.
“I’m just very excited to be out there with the group that we have this year. I’m just really excited to get to work each and every day.”
He wouldn’t say that he was surprised to be back on the field, at least in some part, the first day of camp, but said he trusted the process of working with the trainers. Campbell is still in the rehab process, and is in continued talks with the staff and coaches about how he’s doing.
Ultimately, the rookie wouldn’t give much information into what kind of limitations he had, or the timeline of the whole process, but said he’s really excited to be back on the field after taking nothing but mental reps in the spring.
Now that he’s practicing, Eagles’ DC Vic Fangio has the rookie taking reps at both inside linebacker spots. Campbell said the focus right now is being a great linebacker, but then after practice he’ll get a couple pass rushing reps, too.
As he gets acclimated, Campbell said he appreciates Zach Baun and having him as a resource about things on and off the field. He called Baun a great leader, as well.
Campbell also spoke a bit about Fangio, noting that the defensive coordinator doesn’t do a lot of extra talking, but he expects players to understand his coaching points and apply it on the field.