Twenty-Five Greatest Players in Cardinals History
By Jeremy Meek
Calais Campbell has become one of the great 3-4 ends in football.
Defensive ends in the 3-4 alignment don’t often have huge numbers, but that doesn’t negate the impact they can have. Campbell was drafted by the Cardinals in 2nd round of the 2008 NFL Draft and has been one their most consistently good players since.
Campbell has used his tremendous length to his advantage in his nine-year career, able to successfully play both the run and the pass equally well. Since he took over as a starter in his second year, he’s averaging seven sacks per season, and 46 tackles. He also has 6 forced fumbles and a couple of interceptions credited to him, not counting his current season. His height makes him a weapon on special teams too, and he has blocked more than a few kicks.
His play finally got him recognized in 2014, when he made his first of two Pro Bowl trips so far. At 30 years old, he likely has more years of excellence in front of him, and by the time he decides to hang them up, he’ll probably warrant being much higher on this list.