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There are only three players currently on NFL active rosters from the 2008 NFL Draft: 2023 NFL Comeback Player of the Year quarterback Joe Flacco (Indianapolis Colts), quarterback Josh Johnson (Baltimore Ravens) and new Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Calais Campbell.
Campbell, a six-time Pro Bowler and 2010s All-Decade team member, will turn 38 on Sept. 1, but after a 2023 season in which he started all 17 games for the Atlanta Falcons and totaled 6.5 sacks, 56 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and 42 quarterback pressures — one fewer than New York Giants 2022 fifth overall pick Kayvon Thibodeaux — he knew he had a little bit left in the tank.
“I thought about [retiring],” Campbell said, via The Palm Beach Post, on Tuesday. “I don’t think I thought about it very long though. … If you’re playing football at a high level, why not do it one more time? Just going through that process and trying to figure out if I really want to do it. It really just came down to just with the family, talking to the wife and kids. … And it really came down to, do I want to go through the process of what it takes to be good again.
“Because physically, and the desire and love for the game, has never left, not even a little bit. I mean obviously, there was a time when I was a lot more fast and athletic, but I’m still pretty athletic and still can get the job done on the football field. I have to learn how to use other parts of my game, bring a lot more of the strength part but I still have enough finesse and everything else, I got a full box of little tools. But what keeps me going though is a love for the game.”
Plus, the opportunity to join a playoff team in Miami provided him the chance for a different experience in 2024 after the Falcons went 7-10 for the third year in a row in 2023 under now-fired coach Arthur Smith. Campbell has never won the Super Bowl, but he did appear in the big game…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/new-dolphins-dt-calais-campbell-considered-retirement-chose-miami-because-of-really-good-opportunity/
Author : Garrett Podell
Publish date : 2024-06-19 21:10:07
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