Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Josh Hines-Allen shared after Thursday's training camp practice that he received an unexpected message from former teammate and current Ravens defensive tackle Calais Campbell.
Campbell spent three seasons in Jacksonville from 2017-2019, sharing the field with Hines-Allen during his rookie season in that final year.
"I actually got a surprisingly a great text this morning from Calais Campbell and right before I went out to practice, he said 'I love you Josh and you gonna lead the league in sacks this year.' For me, it's just even more validation that I'm on the right path mentally. I got peers around me that see the same thing and I got a guy that I looked up to my whole career text me out of the blue while I'm thinking
about it naturally. So for me, it's just to keep pushing and keep finding things to get better in and maximize off every opportunity that I can."
Josh Hines-Allen says the former mayor of Sacksonville texted him and told him that he would lead the league in sacks this year 👀👀 #DUUUVAL pic.twitter.com/TBFMXrkrw6
— Jamal St. Cyr (@JStCyrTV) July 30, 2026
As Hines-Allen said, leading the NFL in sacks was already on his radar even before Campbell's message. To help him get there,he's focused on his get-off and hand usage this offseason.
"I told you, why not shoot for the top every year?" Hines-Allen said. "And so for me. I didn't get it this year, I didn't get it yet, so that's kind of my mentality until I'm done playing football."
Hines-Allen was among the best at getting after the quarterback in 2025. He totaled 95 pressures, according to PFF, which was the second-most among his position group, trailing only Aidan Hutchinson. He logged 8.0 sacks as well.
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: Jaguars Josh Hines-Allen receives unexpected message from Calais Campbell
