Why Jihaad Campbell Will Live Up To Reputation of His New Jersey Number

Jihaad Campbell will have a new number for the 2026 season, a number that's quite famous in Philadelphia Eagles lore.

Campbell will be switching to No. 11 for this season (as uncovered by Eagles Ed on X), the previous holder of that number belonging to A.J. Brown. Campbell was No. 30 last season in his rookie year, since No. 11 wasn't available.

Wearing No. 11 isn't new for Campbell, as he wore it during his final season at Alabama in 2024. Campbell previously wore No. 30 at Alabama too, in his first two years with the school.

The No. 11 is one of the most famous numbers in Eagles history. Legendary players have donned that number, including championship quarterbacks Tommy Thompson, Norm Van Brocklin, and Carson Wentz. A.J. Brown also wore No. 11, and he had the best four-year stretch by any wide receiver in Eagles history.

The last MVP by an Eagles player wore No. 11, Van Brocklin in the 1960 season. The Eagles won the 1960 NFL Championship that season, as Van Brocklin threw for 2,471 yards and 24 touchdowns at age 34 -- his final NFL season.

Thompson led the Eagles to a 28-7-1 record with two NFL titles in three seasons wearing No. 11 from 1947 to 1949, arguably the best three-year run in franchise history. Brown is the only Eagles player to have 5,000 receiving yards over a four-year stretch, and he wore No. 11.

Campbell has a reputation to uphold wearing No. 11, and number some of the best players in franchise history have donned.

Can Campbell live up to the hype wearing 11?

If Campbell can stay healthy, there's a lot of potential for Campbell to become a star in Vic Fangio's defense. Campbell has been rehabbing from shoulder surgery this offseason, and this comes from having a shoulder procedure last offseason.

Campbell started 10 of 17 games last season, having 80 tackles and a forced fumble in his rookie season. He also finished with the fourth-highest coverage grade amongst all NFL linebackers (78.6, minimum 600 snaps).

Linebacker is a hard position to learn in the NFL, and Campbell was a solid starter next to Zack Baun when he started the first few games of the season in place of Nakobe Dean. Once Dean came back, Campbell's playing time diminished -- but he started in place of Dean at the end of the season.

When looking at what Brown accomplished as No. 11, Campbell will have to play at an All-Pro level at his position to live up to those expectatons. If Campbell can consistently stay on the football field (like he did last year), there's an opportunity to shine.

Campbell is going to start, even if he'll be challenged this summer by Jeremiah Trotter Jr. -- who can start in his own right. The Eagles are going to bet on Campbell becoming the latest first-round pick to shine, just like Jalen Carter, DeVonta Smith, Jordan Davis, and Quinyon Mitchell.

Wearing the No. 11 comes with high expectations, especially after what Brown did with the number. Campbell will get plenty of chances to make his own legend with No. 11.

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