Vic Fangio says starting LB will miss most of the Eagles’ offseason with shoulder injury

Vic Fangio dropped a bit of unexpected news Wednesday night regarding one of the Eagles’ young defenders.

While speaking with John Clark at an event honoring Dick Vermeil, Vic Fangio revealed that linebacker Jihaad Campbell is dealing with a shoulder injury that will likely keep him out for most of the offseason program.

Campbell was expected to take on a much larger role in 2026, especially after the Eagles lost Nakobe Dean in free agency. Instead, the team may have to fast-track his preparation once training camp begins.

Jihaad Campbell had shoulder surgery before the NFL Draft following the NFL Combine last year. Vic Fangio told @JClarkNBCS tonight that Campbell will miss most of this offseason with another shoulder injury.

Not ideal for a hard-hitting, physical LB. Some teams were worried… pic.twitter.com/tpWovUbCr1

— Chase Senior (@Chase_Senior) March 12, 2026

>> Shop Eagles Apparel Here

“He’s got to be ready,” Fangio said. “He is dealing with a shoulder injury. He’s going to miss probably most of the offseason. So we’re going to have to cram it into him in training camp.”

That’s obviously not ideal for a 22-year-old linebacker entering his second season.

Vic Fangio might be referring to voluntary workouts

Before anyone starts panicking, it’s worth noting that Vic Fangio may be talking about the voluntary spring program rather than something that stretches into the summer.

If that’s the case, Campbell could still be ready for training camp in late July.

It also wouldn’t be the first time Vic Fangio has misjudged Campbell’s recovery timeline. Last summer, he suggested the rookie wouldn’t practice until August, only for Campbell to show up ready when camp opened in July.

So the timeline here is far from set in stone.

What this means for the Eagles’ linebacker room

If Campbell misses spring reps, someone else is going to get them.

That likely means more first-team work for Jeremiah Trotter Jr., who spent part of last offseason competing for the same job before ultimately losing out to Campbell.

Trotter looked solid whenever he got opportunities last year, even if the sample size was small. Missing offseason time for Campbell could open the door for him to re-enter the conversation.

The injury could also help explain why the Eagles reportedly checked in on the market for Patrick Queen earlier in the offseason. At the time the rumor didn’t make much sense. With Campbell sidelined, it at least has some logic behind it.

Not ideal, but not catastrophic

Campbell played meaningful snaps as a rookie, so this isn’t a player starting from scratch.

Still, the offseason program is where young players typically make their biggest jump. Missing that time means Campbell could enter training camp a step behind where the Eagles hoped he’d be heading into Year 2.

For now, the key question is simple: will he be ready when camp opens?

If the answer is yes, this will likely end up being a minor speed bump. If not, the Eagles might need someone else to hold things down early.