The Ravens reunited with defensive tackle Calais Campbell on Thursday, adding crucial veteran depth to their defensive line. Here are the reactions from Baltimore Beatdown’s staff:
At long last the Ravens are able to bring Calais Campbell back to Baltimore. The Ravens have reportedly tried to either sign or trade for Campbell a few times over the past few years but they finally seal the deal to bring him back for his 19th season. Campbell is still a very productive DL, notching 6.5 sacks last year along
with being 3rd in pass rush win rate amongst all interior defensive lineman. If Nnamdi Madubuike returns to full strength, Campbell figures to be more of a rotational piece which is perfectly fine. The Ravens have completely reloaded their defensive front and now appear to have one of the better units in the league on paper. – Stephen Bopst
Any time you can add a player with 100+ career sacks (and still producing) to your roster is a boost. With Calais, it comes with the added bonuses of the familiarity with the team, as well as the leadership aspect. Granted, it’s a new coaching staff, but coaches Minter and Weaver now add a physical monster in the middle of the line on top of whatever other sorcery they were planning with their pressure looks. Calais’ role likely won’t be a secret: push forward all 6’9” of himself at the line to move blockers, bat down passes at the line and blot out the sun.
Abandon hope, all ye who enter. – Kevin McNelis
I am quite excited for this reunion. After failing to address the interior defensive line in a meaningful way through the draft, it felt like a foregone conclusion that the Ravens would sign a veteran. Between D.J. Reader and Calais Campbell, the top two options available, Campbell is the better fit as Reader’s skillset overlaps with Travis Jones and John Jenkins at nose tackle. Signing Campbell, who has stayed remarkably effective against the run and pass into his late thirties, takes pressure off of Nnamdi Madubuike if he indeed returns to the field this season. The Ravens will likely want to ease Madubuike back into action if he is cleared by their doctors to play and Campbell allows them to do so. On paper, Baltimore has quite a solid front seven at this point. – Dustin Cox
The Ravens needed another name on their defensive line after not taking one in the first two days of the draft. The popular name has been DJ Reader but instead it’s former Raven Calais Campbell who makes his return to Baltimore. And it makes a ton of sense. While Reader is a great player, the Ravens already have multiple nose tackle/1-tech linemen on their roster. They made it work by having four active on game days last year. But Campbell fits more in line with what the Ravens actually need on their line. With so many questions still surrounding Nnamdi Madubuike’s return, having another athletic 3-tech who can rush the passer is massive. Don’t get it twisted; Campbell may be 40 once the season starts but he’s shown no signs of slowing down. He’s had a least five sacks in each of the three seasons since he left Baltimore. He had 6.5 sacks last year to pair with 33 pressures (31st among defensive interior) on 339 pass rush snaps, a near 10% pressure rate. Safe to say unc’s still got it.
Beyond the role fit and the production, it’s awesome to get a guy like Calais Campbell to come back to kick off this new era of Jesse Minter Ravens football. Campbell will likely retire a Cardinal one day. But for now, he’s in Baltimore and probably has another decade of play ahead of him at this rate. – Zach Canter
ringing Calais Campbell back to Baltimore would have made sense before the draft. After 11 selections last weekend without addressing the need to bolster the interior pass rush, the signing became much more likely. Campbell brings leadership, experience, and production to a defensive line that desperately needs it for Jesse Minter’s first season. His production in his age-39 season was remarkable, with 6.5 sacks — a number that would have led the Ravens in 2025. This is a home-run signing in every respect. – Mark Myers
