<
        >

          Source: Calais Campbell reuniting with Ravens for 19th season

          play
          Stephen A. Smith: Lamar Jackson has a lot on his shoulders this season (2:24)

          Stephen A. Smith takes stock of Lamar Jackson and the Ravens ahead of this season. (2:24)

          • Jamison HensleyApr 30, 2026, 12:04 PM ET
            Close
              Jamison Hensley is a reporter covering the Baltimore Ravens for ESPN. Jamison joined ESPN in 2011, covering the AFC North before focusing exclusively on the Ravens beginning in 2013. Jamison won the National Sports Media Association Maryland Sportswriter of the Year award in 2018, and he authored a book titled: Flying High: Stories of the Baltimore Ravens. He was the Ravens beat writer for the Baltimore Sun from 2000-2011.
            Follow on X

          OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- Six-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman Calais Campbell is reuniting with the Baltimore Ravens.

          Campbell is returning to sign a one-year deal with the Ravens, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Thursday. This will mark the 19th season for Campbell, who will turn 40 on Sept. 1.

          Baltimore is bringing back Campbell because interior defensive line was among the thinnest positions on the team after the draft. While Pro Bowl defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike may possibly come back from neck surgery, the only Ravens defensive linemen currently on the team who played over 100 snaps last season are Travis Jones, John Jenkins and CJ Okoye.

          Campbell had a successful run with Baltimore from 2020 to 2022, totaling 11 sacks with the Ravens and reaching the Pro Bowl in 2020. The Ravens have had interest in bringing back Campbell previously and were close to trading for him in November 2024 when he was with the Miami Dolphins.

          With Baltimore waiting until this week to sign Campbell, it won't affect the Ravens' compensatory pick formula. The Ravens are projected to have four comp picks in the 2027 draft.

          Campbell played 643 snaps last season, outpacing the goal the Arizona Cardinals had set for him.

          Despite playing more than expected, Campbell still produced. He played in all 17 games and finished with 6.5 sacks, tied for his most in a season since he had 10.5 in 2018 while with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

          His leadership was lauded throughout the Cardinals organization, which drafted him in the second round in 2008 and for which he played his first nine seasons. He was a mentor to the entire defensive line room, from rookies like 2025 first-round pick Walter Nolen III to veterans like Dalvin Tomlinson.

          In addition to his 6.5 sacks, Campbell also had two passes defended and finished with 43 tackles, including nine for loss, while also contributing 16 quarterback hits.

          A first-team All-Pro in 2017, when he finished second in NFL Defensive Player of the Year voting, Campbell also has spent time with the Atlanta Falcons.

          He has 117 sacks, 282 QB hits and 18 forced fumbles in his career.

          ESPN's Josh Weinfuss contributed to his report.