NFL: De’Vondre Campbell and the Green Bay Packers are heading into an uncertain NFL season for the first time in a while. The Aaron Rodgers trade has, of course, headlined the media during the 2023 off-season. However, many other Packers left the team this off-season: Allen Lazard (Jets), Randall Cobb (Jets), Adrian Amos (Jets), Marcedes Lews (unsigned), Mason Crosby (unsigned), Robert Tonyan (Bears), and Dean Lowry (Vikings).
The incredible amount of turnover has turned the Packers into one of the younger teams in the NFL. In fact, they only have three players on their roster over the age of 30 (Pat O’Donnell, David Bakhtiari, and Preston Smith). With such a young team (specifically on offense) the defensive may be heavily relied upon at times.
De’Vondre Campbell Puts The League On Notice With Public Statement
Packers linebacker De’Vondre Campbell was plagued with injuries last season resulting in a tough year. However, he took to Twitter on Thursday to voice that he feels healthy and ready to go for the 2023 campaign:
I was just hitting my stride this game starting to feel like myself after dealing with a nagging shoulder that I never told anyone about and then I injured my knee the next game in Buffalo 😔. I never question Gods plan but I’m feeling 100% healthy and everyone gotta deal with me https://t.co/lWbghdcK6J
— De’Vondre Campbell (@Came_Along_Way) July 13, 2023
De’Vondre Campbell quoted a tweet showing his own pick-six against the Washington Commanders. He stated that was the only time he felt healthy last season. He stresses that he injured his knee after this game and nothing was really the same afterwards, but this year he is feeling 100% and ‘everyone’ will have to deal with him.
All-Pro De’Vondre Campbell… Back?
De’Vondre Campbell was named a first-team All-Pro for the 2021 NFL season by the Associated Press. Campbell, who recorded 146 total tackles and made big play after big play for the Packers defense that year. He received 18 of the possible 50 votes for first-team All-Pro. Micah Parsons of the Dallas Cowboys (46 votes) and Darius Leonard of the Indianapolis Colts (44) were voted as the other two linebackers on the first-team All-Pro team in 2021.
Matt Lafleur commented on how important Campbell was to the defense that year. “He’s wearing a lot of hats for us,” LaFleur said in October. “He’s obviously the guy communicating out there, but he’s in all those different personal groupings and asked to fill multiple responsibilities. We’re lucky we have him. He’s definitely been productive. But he’s also been a great asset to our locker room. He’s earned the respect of his teammates. That was a really great pickup for us.”
If Campbell can return to his All-Pro form in 2023, the defense will have even higher expectations this year.
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