Calais Campbell Is Excited To Be Reunited With Baltimore Ravens Young Defensive Stars

The six-time Pro Bowler played alongside some of the top defenders remaining on the Baltimore Ravens roster from his first stint with the team.

Oct 2, 2022; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Buffalo Bills place kicker Tyler Bass (2) first half field clears Baltimore Ravens defensive tackle Calais Campbell (93) tented hand during at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Unlike most veteran free agent signings who report to mandatory minicamp, Baltimore Ravens defensive end Calais Campbell compared his first time on the field to begin his second tour of duty with the team to a kid on the first day of school after missing his friends all summer.

"You're excited to see your classmates you haven't seen in six months, your best friends," Campbell said. "There was a little more time in between."

During the six-time Pro Bowler's first stint with the Charm City franchise, which lasted from 2020-22 and over the course of those three seasons, he played alongside and mentored current Ravens stars and standout defenders such as Pro Bowl inside linebacker Roquan Smith, All Pro defensive backs Kyle Hamilton and Marlon Humphrey, and fellow interior defensive linemen Nnamdi Madubuike, Travis Jones and Broderick Washington.

"Many of these guys I shared the field with that I have so much admiration for," Campbell said.

After serving as his veteran mentor for the first three seasons of his career, Campbell is especially excited to be lining up next to Madubuike, who has emerged as one of the most disruptive defensive front players in the league since he's been gone.

He broke out in a big way in his first year without him in 2023, leading the team and all interior defensive linemen in the league with 13 sacks and was named to back-to-back Pro Bowls before a serious neck injury cut his 2025 season short and threatened his career.

"Just seeing him as a rookie and his development over the three years we played together, and then turning into a superstar, and then going through the situation he's going through right now and just trying to always be there for him.

The two of them kept in touch and remained in "good friends" while Campbell extended his career elsewhere with Atlanta Falcons, Miami Dolphins and Arizona Cardinals.

"I have been checking in on him the whole way," Campbell said. "Now, being here in the same locker room with him, it's been a treat. I tell him all the time, 'Man, you've grown up.' He's like, 'Nah, I'm the same.' I said, 'No, you are not. You're a grown man now. You have the chest popping out, looking as strong as can be.' He's just a phenomenal football player."

Madubuike still hasn't been cleared to return to the field, and he hasn't made any public statements since his representatives revealed that he underwent neck surgery in April. However, all indication from his coaches and teammates is that he's trending in the right direction, which is tremendous news as getting him back would be the most seismic addition of the Ravens' offseason.

From young pups to proven and rising stars

Nov 7, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton (14) reacts after tips a Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) pass during the first quarter at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Campbell's last year with the Ravens, his first time around, was also the rookie season for the team's star-studded 2022 draft class that has cashed in big over the past two offseasons, resulting in four market-setting contracts over that span.

The first of the bunch to get rewarded was Hamilton, who held the mantle of the highest-paid safety in the league for less than a year after signing an extension last August, and was only just recently edged out for the top spot by Derwin James for the top spot by a mere $100,000. The former first-rounder has been voted to each of the last three Pro Bowls and was named First Team All Pro twice and Second Team once during that span.

"Seeing Kyle Hamilton become probably the best safety in football [after] seeing him when he was a young buck," Campbell said. "You could see the potential and what he could do. Now, obviously, he's been doing it for a few years, but it's been great to see."

One of the other brightest standouts from that class was nose tackle Travis Jones, who has been an incredibly disruptive run-stuffer when healthy. He is coming off a breakout 2025 season as a pass rusher, in which he led the Ravens with a career-high five sacks and was signed to a lucrative extension as a result.

"Even Travis is one of those guys that is so strong and so gifted," Campbell said. "I was hard on him as a rookie. I teased him a lot, but I was hard on him because I could see the potential he had. To see him get rewarded, get a contract and be a premier guy in this league has been fun to see."