August 06, 2025
Kyle Ross/Imagn Images
Saquon Barkley had a pretty glowing comparison for Eagles rookie linebacker Jihaad Campbell.
It's only been a couple of weeks since the Eagles have started to get a real look at rookie linebacker Jihaad Campbell, but already, one of his star teammates sees the potential – made a glowing comparison, too.
"Super raw, like, freaky athletic," running back Saquon Barkley told the local media of Campbell after Tuesday's training camp practice at the NovaCare Complex. "I think it's gonna be a problem, a real big problem for a lot of guys in this league, having to go against him and blocking him."
"He's kinda built like [Micah Parsons] a little bit, knowing Micah for a long time," Barkley added. "So I feel like as he grows and learns the game a little bit more, you're gonna be able to put him in different spots."
But for now, Campbell has a real shot at winning the second off-ball linebacker spot next to Zack Baun after he made enough progress in his rehab back from a torn labrum to be ready in time for the start of camp.
With a renewed emphasis on linebacker heavily due to defensive coordinator Vic Fangio's scheme, the Eagles made Campbell the 31st overall pick out of Alabama back at the NFL Draft in April.
At the time, though, general manager Howie Roseman was hesitant to look at the 21-year-old as strictly a linebacker because of the speed, power, and versatility he could potentially bring off the edge as well – kind of like Parsons in a way.
"This guy can grow into anything you want," Roseman said after the draft's first round concluded.
"At the end of the day, like you see it, and what's going on in the league, and Zack Baun's a great example," Roseman continued. "These guys, they can rush from the edge, they can play in space, they can affect the quarterback from depth, from the edge, and that's what we're looking for. We're looking for guys like that."
Guys who are going to be a problem for the rest of the NFL, and maybe as soon as Week 1 should Campbell's strong camp continue.
"Just raw, like uber-athletic, can fly, aggressive," Barkley went on about Campbell's talent and drive. "Probably too aggressive in camp right now, to be honest. Gotta teach him to stay away from the guys in red and knowing when to tag off and take shots, but you'd rather him be more aggressive than not, so it's fun.
"It's fun getting to go against him every single day."
Knowing that Barkley and the rest of his offensive teammates won't have to worry about him in actual games probably helps with that, too.
A couple of other loose ends on the Eagles...
As Barkley noted, Campbell has the potential to become a real problem for opposing NFL offenses.
But they already know that Quinyon Mitchell is one.
The second-year cornerback was revealed to be ranked at No. 49 on the list of the NFL's Top 100 Players of 2025 earlier this week, in an annual offseason poll voted on by the players themselves.
It speaks to how impactful the 24-year-old really was in Year 1.
Top 100 Players of 2025:@Eagles CB Quinyon Mitchell debuts at No. 49! @NFLFilms pic.twitter.com/zA3TvQvjCK
— NFL (@NFL) August 4, 2025
From the jump last season, Mitchell stuck to his assignments, batted passes straight into the ground, and suppressed some of the league's best receivers, such as Tampa Bay's Mike Evans and Washington's Terry McLaurin.
He was crucial in making the Eagles' defense as dominant as it was on the way to a Super Bowl title, and he's a reason why it just might stay in good shape for years to come with "Quinyanamo Bay" covering up one half of the field.
Mitchell's ranking also puts both of the Eagles' rookie defensive backs from last season on the Top 100 list, as Cooper DeJean made the cut higher up at No. 60.
The Eagles still have some work to do this summer when it comes to fully figuring out their defensive backfield, mainly in determining who that second outside corner will be opposite of Mitchell and who takes up the other safety spot next to Reed Blankenship, but having two young and already respected pieces set for likely years to come can make that process a whole lot easier.
The Eagles' preseason schedule will kick off Thursday night when they face the Cincinnati Bengals at Lincoln Financial Field.
Quarterback Joe Burrow and the Bengals' offensive starters are set to play in the preseason opener for a bit, head coach Zac Taylor told the Cincinnati media on Tuesday.
As for Jalen Hurts and the Eagles, Nick Sirianni hasn't said anything yet.
Recent history says the chances are slim, though.
Ever since Hurts got hit out of bounds late during a preseason contest against the Jets back in 2022, Sirianni and the Eagles have shown a general apprehension toward putting established starters into the exhibitions.
Instead, they've shown a clear favor toward getting the starters their reps in joint practices, which have been a more controlled environment that minimizes the risk of potential injury.
The Eagles are set to hold this summer's joint practices next week when the Cleveland Browns come to town ahead of their preseason matchup on Saturday, Aug. 16.
Now, would the decision to continue to hold the starters out be a popular one? Well, given that the Eagles won the Super Bowl last season, most fans will probably meet it with indifference – don't fix what isn't broken, you know?
If you'll recall, though, things sure did look broken out of the gate last year.
The starters didn't play at all last preseason, and up until that early October bye, the Eagles looked a lot like that same team that imploded down the stretch of 2023, which left fans calling for Sirianni's job in droves.
But the recovery coming back from that week off was near dominant the rest of the way, which made that slow start easy to write off in the end.
It buys Sirianni and the Eagles the benefit of the doubt this time around, too.
They can always break away from the trend, of course, but again, it seems unlikely.
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