Arizona Cardinals DL Calais Campbell one of 10 outstanding late-career veterans in NFL
Few players have played as well for as long as Calais Campbell.
It is said that the NFL is a young man's game. It is a league where players in their 20s thrive and few last long into their 30s. The Arizona Cardinals spent the last two seasons actively getting younger.
But there are exceptions. PFF featured 10 aging veterans who are still playing at a high level. The Cardinals have one of those players — defensive line Calais Campbell.
Aside from quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers and Joe Flacco, Calais Campbell (who turns 39 years old in September) is the oldest active player in the NFL. The Dolphins were one of the league's biggest disappointments last year, starting the season 2-6, but Campbell still played in all 17 games, ranking first among interior defenders with an 85.9 PFF run-defense grade.
Campbell signed with the Arizona Cardinals in free agency and will finish out his Hall-of-Fame career back where it started in 2008. His leadership will be valuable for an improving defensive line, most notably 16th-overall pick Walter Nolen.
When Campbell left the Cardinals in 2017, he was a solid player. No one had the Hall of Fame connected to him. He had a couple of great years in Jacksonville and has steadily produced for almost two decades.
At no point in his career has he been considered one of the top four or five defensive linemen in the NFL. But with 14 seasons with at least five sacks, he now has 110.5 for his career.
He has talked a lot about leadership and mentoring this offseason, but there is no mistaking the fact that he can still play.
Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire's Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe onSpotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
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