De’Vondre Campbell Takes Shot at Packers on X
GREEN BAY, Wis. – De’Vondre Campbell was an All-Pro in his debut season with the Green Bay Packers in 2021. He was a team captain in 2022.
In 2023?
Apparently, he’s had enough.
“Not going out of my way anymore and I’m not playing through injuries anymore cause when sh** goes wrong they always use it against you,” he said.
That’s part of what he posted on X on Tuesday morning.
Campbell’s post came a couple days after the Packers’ defense was embarrassed in a 34-20 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
That defeat, one in which cornerback Jaire Alexander missed a sixth consecutive game with a mysterious shoulder injury, created questions about the job security of defensive coordinator Joe Barry and made the Packers the butt of a national joke.
Campbell has had a difficult season. He’s missed four games and parts of two others due to injuries. In 10 starts, he’s fourth on the team with 67 tackles.
During his All-Pro season, he recorded 146 tackles along with two interceptions, two forced fumbles and five passes defensed. This year, he has zero interceptions, zero forced fumbles and one pass defensed.
“It’s been up and down, man, trying to stay healthy,” Campbell said last week. “When I’m healthy, I’m a problem, but like I say, that’s the hard part – staying healthy. Just got to keep pushing.”
Speaking a few days before the Tampa Bay game, Campbell praised the coaching staff for its approach on a short week.
“It’s vital for our bodies, just physically getting back to where we want to be since we’re on a short week,” he said. “Very thankful for it and appreciate the coaching staff.”
Campbell missed three games early in the season with an ankle injury. He suffered a stinger against the Chargers and was inactive for the Thanksgiving game against Detroit. He played the last three games and was not on the injury report last week.
Barry recently praised Campbell for his toughness.
“We’re in Detroit on Wednesday night before the Thursday game,” Barry said, “and De’Vondre Campbell can barely lift his arm and he’s got a masseuse meeting him down in the lobby an hour before bed check to do some extra work on his neck just so he can potentially have the ability to play at 12:30 the next day.”
The Packers were ninth in the NFL in points allowed before they were upset at the Giants last Monday night. Looking ahead to Sunday against Tampa Bay, he said, “I think we’ve got a good game plan. We’ve just got to go out and execute.”
The Packers did not execute; they allowed the most points, total yards and passing yards in a home game in Barry’s three-year tenure. After the Packers had pulled within 27-20, Campbell was the nearest defender to David Moore on Moore’s back-breaking 52-yard touchdown that made it 34-20 midway through the fourth quarter.
Campbell earlier this month was the team’s nominee for the prestigious Walter Payton Man of the Year Award.
"We are honored to nominate De'Vondre for this prestigious award,” team President and CEO Mark Murphy said in the announcement. “He does so much work with his foundation, the De'Vondre Campbell Family Youth Foundation, to help families in need through football camps, donations and their Adopt A Family program. We are proud to highlight his dedication to the community and his excellence both on and off the field.”
After his breakout 2021, the Packers re-signed Campbell on a five-year deal worth $50 million. The Packers can move on this offseason and create about $2.8 million of cap space, according to OverTheCap.com.
