Ex-Ravens DL Calais Campbell Discusses Exit From Baltimore
The 2023 offseason has been a difficult one for the Baltimore Ravens. The Lamar Jackson Saga has taken up most of the headlines, but the team has had to endure other hardships as well. Of those other hardships, parting ways with veteran defensive lineman Calais Campbell was one of the hardest.
Prior to free agency, the Ravens released Campbell after three years with the team, and he eventually signed with the Atlanta Falcons. The move saved them $7 million in cap space, but Campbell's presence up front will be dearly missed. In three seasons in Baltimore, he accounted for 113 tackle, 14 tackles for loss and 11 sacks.
Recently, Campbell appeared on an episode of "The Crew" podcast with Josina Anderson to discuss his exit from Baltimore and free agency experience. In the episode, he shared that he knew that leaving Baltimore was "a possibility". He added that while the Ravens wanted to bring him back, but couldn't make it work with their financial situation.
"It was just one of those things where eventually I knew it might happen and with Lamar's situation having the franchise tag, they said, obviously, they would love to have me back," Campbell said. "(General manager) Eric DeCosta made it clear that he would love to have me back, but with the current situation, we just couldn't make it happen with the cap situation."
Campbell also praised some of the younger defensive linemen in Baltimore. He specifically named defensive linemen Broderick Washington and Justin Madubuike, both entering their fourth seasons, as "young beasts."
"I told Broderick Washington, 'Man, you're playing so good you're going to get me cut.' I told him that at the beginning of the year. … He's a great young player," Campbell said. "Justin Madubuike, great young player, and when you have two young beasts like that, and they're cheap and they're capable, it's just one of those things."
Losing their veteran leader on the defensive line certainly hurts, so the Ravens will be counting on Washington, Madubuike and others to step up with Campbell now departed.
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