Report: Dolphins would ‘welcome back’ Calais Campbell to bolster defensive line

Defensive tackle Calais Campbell seemingly found the fountain of youth considering his quality of play for the Miami Dolphins in the 2024 season. He turned 38 years old all the way back in September, yet his impact suggested that he was one of Miami’s top defensive players a season ago.

Impressively, he didn’t miss a single one of the Dolphins’ 17 contests and totaled 52 combined tackles, 35 solo tackles, 17 assisted tackles, five sacks, 12 tackles for loss and 12 quarterback hits.

Campbell is now a free agent, and per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, the Dolphins would “welcome back” the veteran.

“With Zach Sieler the only proven particularly proven defensive tackle under contract, the Dolphins would welcome back Calais Campbell, who has been figuring out what he wants to do in 2025,” Jackson wrote. “They’ve talked to Benito Jones about a return. They like Da’Shawn Hand very much. All three of those players are free agents.”

At least one of Campbell’s teammates from a season ago publicly expressed just how impressive it was that he was so effective for the Dolphins at his advanced age. One of the team’s breakout players from last season, tight end Jonnu Smith said that Campbell was “the LeBron James of the NFL.” Like Campbell, James is synonymous with longevity, as he’s in his 22nd season in the NBA, yet he’s still dominating the league.

A decision that Miami’s current head coach Mike McDaniel made ahead of last year’s trade deadline hints that he also thinks very highly of Campbell. Allegedly, the Baltimore Ravens almost pulled off a trade for Campbell before McDaniel stepped in and put the kibosh on the deal. He then told Campbell that he couldn’t trade him because of how valuable he was to the team.

Maybe his best game as a Dolphin last season came in the team’s season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sept. 8. He showed off his diverse defensive skill set by contributing in a number of areas. Campbell totaled one sack to go along with three solo tackles, two tackles for loss and a quarterback hit. The Dolphins’ defensive unit held the Jaguars to just 17 points in that contest and won by three points.

The clock is likely ticking on Campbell’s NFL career considering his age and mileage, but hopefully he will stick around with the Dolphins for at least one more season before he opts to retire from the league.