The Philadelphia Eagles report to the Jefferson Health Training Complex for the start of 2026 Training Camp on Tuesday, July 28th. Over the next few weeks, PhiladelphiaEagles.com will get you ready by previewing the top storylines at each position. Today, a look at the linebacker room led by All-Pro Zack Baun.
Did You Know?
Zack Baun was a first-team all-state quarterback in Wisconsin in high school as well as an outside linebacker.
Returning Starters
Zack Baun enters his third season with the Eagles off the back of two career years that saw him earn an All-Pro and two Pro Bowl nods, as well as debuting on the NFL Top 100 Players list in 2025 at number 26.
Drafted back in 2020 by the Saints, the former Wisconsin Badger is the oldest member of the linebacker room at 29 and now leads one of the youngest linebacker rooms in the league. How important is Baun to the Eagles' defense? He was on the field for 92 percent of the Eagles' defensive snaps last year.
Drafted by the Eagles in the first-round last year, Jihaad Campbell looks to build off a promising rookie season that included 10 starts out of 17 games, 76 tackles, one interception and a forced fumble. Campbell was selected to the PFWA All-Rookie team in 2025 for his advanced coverage in pass defense.
While he was a part-time starter last year, Campbell enters 2026 as the expected starter alongside Baun. Raised in New Jersey, Campbell grew up as an Eagles fan before committing to play his college football at the University of Alabama where he became one of the best linebackers in the nation, earning second-team All-American honors in 2024.
In the Mix
23-year-old Jeremiah Trotter also returns for another year with the Eagles. While he has seen time in the linebacker rotation on defense his first two years in the NFL, he can be most easily spotted making plays on special teams. In 2025 alone, Trotter recorded 20 tackles on special teams during the regular season and playoffs.
The Eagles' 2024 fifth-round draft pick out of Clemson is the son of Eagles Hall of Famer Jeremiah Trotter who played eight years for the Eagles – the team who drafted him.
Campbell was not the only inside linebacker the Eagles drafted in 2025, with Georgia's Smael Mondon being selected in the fifth round. Mondon appeared in all 17 regular-season games his rookie year, as well as the Eagles' Wild Card matchup. The second-year linebacker was mostly utilized on special teams, notching 13 tackles all season.
And yes, Campbell is also not the only Campbell in the Eagles' linebacker room. Chance Campbell, a former sixth-round pick by the Titans in 2022, spent the 2025 season on the Eagles' practice squad. The 6-foot-2, 232-pound linebacker played his first three years of college ball at Maryland before transferring to the University of Mississippi for his senior season.
New to the Nest
The only new addition to the Eagles' linebacker room is undrafted rookie Deontae Lawson. Lawson played his college football at Alabama for five years, being a prominent starter for three. The 6-foot-3, 226-pound Lawson was named second-team All-SEC in 2025.
The two-time Alabama captain accumulated 283 tackles, 19 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, and an interception through 52 games for the Crimson Tide.
Bird Call
Zack Baun on Jihaad Cambell: "You saw growth all throughout the season, so I'm really excited for him this upcoming season."
Storylines to Follow
How will Zack Baun and Jihaad Campbell look as a pair after one season of starting together? ... Will there be more rotation at linebacker than there was in 2025? ... Who will fill the spots behind Baun and Campbell in 2026?
How Many Made the Initial 53 in 2025? 4
- Written by Caroline Connor
