Calais Campbell nearly returned to the Ravens at the trade deadline. Here’s why he stayed

Calais Campbell nearly returned to the Baltimore Ravens in early November.

The Miami Dolphins starting defensive tackle was almost traded to the Ravens in exchange for a fifth round pick around the Nov. 5 trade deadline, NFL Insider Ian Rapoport reported Sunday morning. A conversation with Mike McDaniel, however, put everything on hold.

Campbell, who played for the Ravens between 2020-2022, discussed the situation in detail following the Dolphins’ 34-15 victory over the New England Patriots.

“They wanted to have a conversation with me to see where my mind was at,” Campbell said late Sunday afternoon. “We had a great conversation. Me and Mike talked about where we are as a team. We came to the conclusion that this team still has a lot of fight left and we have a chance to do something special.”

McDaniel, however, joked about the situation.

“I may or may not have thrown an adult temper tantrum,” McDaniel quipped Sunday, later adding that “That’s the tricky thing about Chris [Grier’s] job is that he has to look long-term and short-term, at the same time, what’s the best for the organization. And then we rely on each other for things that I need to be on top of and one of that is the locker rook and what one individual does for an entire team.”

At the time of the initial conversation, the Dolphins were just days removed from a devastating 30-27 loss to the Buffalo Bills that put them at 2-6. Tua Tagovailoa had returned the previous game against the Arizona Cardinals, however, that too had ended in a close loss. The Ravens, meanwhile, were 6-3.

Although the Dolphins’ playoff chances looked bleak, McDaniel and Campbell had belief in the team.

“We felt like we had a good shot to get back into the fight,” Campbell said, adding that he was “grateful that they brought me into the conversations.” “Everything has happened so far, based off the conversation we had, as we thought it would.”

Since that Nov. 3 loss to the Bills, the Dolphins have rattled off three straight wins over the Los Angeles Rams, the Las Vegas Raiders and the Patriots to put them at 5-6. A prime time matchup against the Green Bay Packers on Thanksgiving looms on the horizon, however, the Dolphins have life – in large part due to veterans like Campbell who have emphasized the importance of staying even keeled throughout the tumultuous season.

The Packers game represents an opportunity “to put ourselves back in playoff contention,” Campbell said. “But all that doesn’t really matter. All that matters is staying in the moment, playing good, technical football that will put us in a position to win ball games.”

Campbell has seemingly found the fountain of youth in his 17th NFL season. The future hall-of-famer has notched four sacks on the year as well as nine tackles for loss and seven quarterback hits. His on-field play is just a fraction of what he brings to the Dolphins: the six-time Pro Bowler has emerged as one of the leaders in the locker room.

“There’s no one’s game I’ve come to respect more than Calais’s up front on the d-line, being with him this year and just the energy, the attitude and the mindset he brings every week,” defensive tackle Zach Sieler said Sunday. “It can’t be matched, and that’s the reason why he is who he is today and doing what he’s doing at 17 years.”

That’s part of why the Dolphins voted Campbell a captain in just his first year.

“I think he means a great deal to not only the defensive line room, but the entire defense as well as the entire team,” McDaniel said Wednesday. “It’s rare for a guy to get here when he did, and then be voted, with such conviction, captain. I think the way that he operates to be a pro, I think has had a substantial impact on a lot of players that hadn’t been fortunate enough to be around someone with sustained success like he’s had..”

Prior to joining the Dolphins, Campbell spent the 2023 season with the Atlanta Falcons. He played the previous three years with the Ravens and also spent time with the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Cardinals, the later of whom selected him in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft.