Eagles linebacker Jihaad Campbell underwent shoulder surgery in March with an original projection to “probably miss most of the offseason” from defensive coordinator Vic Fangio.
Fangio has since confirmed that timeline, indicating that the second-year defender is progressing well in his recovery but is not ready for the field yet. He could get onto the field for the end of OTAs or mandatory minicamp, per 94WIP’s Eliot Shorr-Parks. Barring that, he should be ready to go by training camp.
Philadelphia traded up to select Campbell with the 31st overall pick in last year’s draft. The 22-year-old stepped into a starting role right away with Nakobe Dean starting the regular season on the physically unable to perform list. He returned to bench in October when his veteran teammate returned to the field and started the last two games of the regular season after another Dean injury.
Campbell is now positioned to take over the full-time No. 2 linebacker job with Dean now playing in Las Vegas. However, until he is on the field, recent Day 3 picks Jeremiah Trotter and Smael Mondon will be in line for more first-team reps next to Zack Baun.
In other Eagles shoulder-related news, Fangio also said this week that defensive tackle Jalen Carter was progressing well through the team’s offseason program after undergoing surgery on both of his shoulders last year.
“I think his shoulders are fine,” Fangio said (via Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio). “He’s had a good offseason of lifting. I think he started that earlier than normal for him and you can see the difference in that regard. I think he’s in a better spot now than he was.”
Philadelphia did not seem to have any concerns about Carter’s shoulders when he returned from surgery that sidelined him for most of December. He played 58 of the team’s 76 defensive snaps in Week 17, rested in Week 18 with other starters, and stayed on the field for 58 of the Eagles’ 60 snaps in their wild card loss to the 49ers. The team can still be cautious and manage Carter’s workload through the offseason, but at the moment, there is little reason to worry about his status.