‘I can’t do it’: What Mike McDaniel told Calais Campbell when Dolphins nearly traded him

Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Calais Campbell reportedly almost got traded out of Miami prior to the NFL trade deadline, which was on Nov. 5. The Baltimore Ravens were reportedly among several teams interested in the veteran and nearly had a deal done to acquire him in exchange for a fifth-round pick.

But Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel put the kibosh on the deal before it came to fruition and told Campbell exactly why Miami couldn’t part with him.

“I can’t do it,” McDaniel told him, per The Athletic. “You’re too valuable to us.”

At 38 years old, Campbell is the oldest player on the Dolphins by a sizable margin. He also has a ton of mileage on him, as he’s played in the NFL since he was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft and has suited up for five teams during his time in the league.

However, his quality of play so far in his first season in Miami indicates that he still has plenty left in the tank as a football player. Campbell has been one of the Dolphins’ more reliable and effective players on the defensive side of the ball this campaign.

For one, he has the second-most sacks of any Dolphin with four. Fellow defensive tackle Zach Sieler has racked up a team-high six sacks.

Campbell has been equally impactful at accumulating tackles for loss, as he has recorded nine to this point, which also ranks second on the team behind Sieler.

What may be just as impressive as his numbers with the Dolphins has been Campbell’s availability. Despite his advanced age, he has started every one of Miami’s 13 regular-season contests to this point.

In the Dolphins’ most recent game, which came against the New York Jets on Dec. 8, he totaled three combined tackles and registered a quarterback hit in a game Miami won by a score of 32-26 in overtime.

Hopefully, Campbell will come up big for the Dolphins when they battle the Houston Texans on the road this weekend. The Texans’ record of 8-5 ranks tops among all squads in the AFC South division, and Houston has been a tough out at home this season, as evidenced by its home record of 4-2.