Vic Fangio doesn’t hand out compliments for free. So when a reporter asked about Chance Campbell during the Eagles defensive coordinator’s Wednesday media session, his answer carried weight.
“Don’t sleep on Chance now. You guys, when you make your list out there, we like Chance. Chance is a good football player,” Fangio said, according to the Eagles Media Center transcript.
Campbell, 26, isn’t a name most fans have circled. He spent the 2025 season buried on Philadelphia’s practice squad after signing with the team last August. He’d bounced between Tennessee’s active roster and practice squad for three years before that, appearing in four career games and tearing his ACL in 2024. The Titans drafted him in the sixth round out of Ole Miss back in 2022.
None of that history stopped Fangio from singling him out. “He had some injuries earlier in his career that set him back. Since the day we picked him up last year, he’s shown that he’s a football player, and we like him,” Fangio said. He added a detail that speaks to how fast Campbell picked things up: “Last year we picked him up the last week of the preseason… he didn’t need that acclimation period.”
Philadelphia signed Campbell to a reserve/futures deal this offseason, a move that keeps practice squad players in the building through the following training camp. That contract is now paying off with real reps and real attention from the coaching staff.
Trotter Jr. Also Earning Praise in the Room
Campbell wasn’t the only linebacker Fangio highlighted. Jeremiah Trotter Jr., entering his third season with the Eagles, drew some of the coordinator’s strongest language of camp so far.
“Trot’s had a very good camp,” Fangio said. “It’s more of [he] knows what he’s doing, seeing things quicker, faster, and playing faster. He’s had an excellent camp. It’s the best I’ve seen him look since we’ve had him.”
That’s a notable jump for Trotter, whose early NFL career has shown up more on special teams than on defense. Fangio tied the improvement to processing speed rather than physical conditioning — the mental side of the defense finally clicking into place.
Why the Depth Chart Matters Here
Zack Baun and Jihaad Campbell are locked in as Philadelphia’s starting linebackers heading into 2026. That leaves Trotter Jr. and Chance Campbell fighting for snaps behind them, along with 2025 fifth-round pick Smael Mondon Jr., who ClutchPoints noted stood out on special teams as a rookie despite limited defensive snaps.
The Eagles typically play with five defensive backs on the field more often than not under Fangio, but there are still packages that call for three inside linebackers to slow down the run. That’s the role Chance Campbell and Trotter Jr. are competing for — a depth spot behind Baun and Jihaad Campbell that also carries real special teams value.
It’s also a name to watch given Philadelphia’s roster-building at the position. The Eagles have had thin depth at inside linebacker in recent years, and finding contributors on futures deals and Day 3 picks — rather than needing to spend premium resources there — is exactly the kind of roster management the front office has prioritized.
What Comes Next
Training camp battles like this one get decided in preseason games, not practice reports. Campbell’s chance to prove Fangio right will come once the pads are on in live-game reps. For now, the early word from the coordinator’s chair is that Philadelphia’s linebacker depth looks better than it has in years — and Campbell, a player few outside the building were tracking, is part of the reason why.
