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The NFL’s Benjamin Button is returning for a 19th professional campaign.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Ravens are signing veteran defensive lineman Calais Campbell to a one-year contract ahead of the 2026 season— a move that brings the longtime standout back to Baltimore, where he played from 2020 through ’22.
Campbell was selected by the Cardinals in the second round (pick No. 50) of the 2008 NFL draft and spent nine seasons in Arizona, earning two Pro Bowl nods in ’09 and ’15 along with two second-team All-Pro honors in ’14 and ’16. Since then, he’s spent time with the Jaguars (2017 through ’19), Ravens (’20 through ’22), Falcons (’23), Dolphins (’24), and a return stint with the Cardinals in ’25 before now landing back with Baltimore for ’26. Over the course of 18 seasons, Campbell has logged 960 career tackles, 117 sacks, 18 forced fumbles, three safeties and three interceptions. His best year came in 2017 with Jacksonville, when he posted a career-high 14.5 sacks and three forced fumbles while helping the Jaguars to an AFC championship appearance.
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Somehow, at age 39—and with his 40th birthday approaching on September 1—Campbell still clearly feels that he has more left in the tank. Here’s a closer look at how he’ll fit into Baltimore’s defense heading into 2026.
How Calais Campbell fits into the Ravens defensive line room
The Ravens enter the coming season with new uniforms, a quarterback in Lamar Jackson who’s taking part in their offseason program for the first time in a long time, and a new head coach in Jesse Minter. On Minter specifically, he’s a defensive guru whose system is based on four pillars: block destruction, shocking effort, ball disruption, and “obnoxious communication”—all four of which Campbell can help employ. The two overlapped in Baltimore back in 2020, when Minter was the defensive backs coach with the club, giving Campbell some familiarity with the overall scheme they’d like to run.
As far as where he’ll fit in along the Ravens’ defensive line, he’s set to join a room manned by veterans John Jenkins, Travis Jones, Nnamdi Madubuike, C.J. Okoye, Aeneas Peebles and Broderick Washington Jr., along with rookie seventh-round pick Rayshaun Benny. Madubuike missed the majority of the 2025 season with what had been dubbed a career-threatening neck injury, but underwent surgery in mid-April that has reportedly left doctors “believing he will be able to resume playing this season.” He’s currently on the team’s physically unable to perform list.
The Ravens defense as a whole, meanwhile, finished the 2025 season with just 30 total sacks, fourth-fewest in the NFL, and a pass rush win rate of just 30%, fifth-lowest in football.
Considering the state of Baltimore’s defensive line prior to training camp, Campbell should have a clear path not only to making the team’s final roster, but also carving out a meaningful role in 2026. Off the field, he’ll bring a respected, veteran presence throughout the spring and summer that will be invaluable to the Ravens as they look to kick off the start of the Minter era.
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MIKE KADLICK
Mike Kadlick is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, he covered the New England Patriots for WEEI sports radio in Boston and continues to do so for CLNS Media. He has a master's in public relations from Boston University. Kadlick is also an avid runner and a proud lover of all things pizza.
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