Calais Campbell has changed the Jaguars defensive line

When the Jacksonville Jaguars locked down veteran defensive lineman Calais Campbell in free agency, it was a bit of a surprise and a lot of people were worried the player on the wrong side of 30 might just be in it for the money. Through four weeks of the NFL season, it’s very clear that Campbell may have been in it for the money, but he clearly has plenty of gas left in the tank.

As it stands right now, Campbell is second in the NFL in sacks with 5.5, four of which came in the first game of the season. While I don’t expect Campbell to hit the 15 plus mark for sacks this season, double-digits shouldn’t be out of the question. Even if Campbell doesn’t end with double-digit sacks this season, he’s still money well spent for the domino effect on the defensive line.

Campbell has been working as a defensive end and tackle, depending on the down and package, and he garners attention at either spot. We’ve seen Dante Fowler, Jr. flash a few times and pick up some big sacks from the defensive end spot, when Campbell is at a tackle spot. With Campbell inside, he commands attention and that frees up guys like Fowler and Yannick Ngakoue to pin their ears back and beat their man one-on-one.

It’s possible that Campbell could end up being one of the Jaguars best free agent signings of all time if he keeps his play up all season.