Campbell Breaking a Nasty Dolphins Trend

Veteran defensive lineman Calais Campbell has been among the Miami Dolphins' best players this season.

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) throws a pass over Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Calais Campbell (93) before getting sacked during the second half at Lucas Oil Stadium. / Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

There's a pretty long list of high-profile players or former first-round picks whose careers had a pretty forgettable ending with the Miami Dolphins.

Calais Campbell is proving the exception to the rule.

At 38 years old, this very possibly could be his last season in the NFL, and if it is, the former University of Miami standout sure is going out in style.

It's not that the Dolphins have had many great performances during their highly disappointing 2-5 start, but it's not ridiculous to put Campbell out there as one of the most noteworthy candidates for the team MVP through seven games.

Those fine folks will agree if you believe in the Pro Football Focus (PFF) grades because Campbell has the second-highest PFF grade among all Dolphins players. Campbell has an 86.4 PFF grade so far, ranking fourth among all NFL interior defensive linemen (behind only Cameron Heyward, Dexter Lawrence, and Chris Jones) and second behind only Terron Armstead among all Dolphins players.

That he plays this well at this age is a testament to Campbell, who might become a Pro Football Hall of Famer after his career ends.

His signing to a team-friendly contract has also been one of the team's best moves of the offseason.

COULD CAMPBELL BE TRADED?

With the NFL trade deadline coming up next Tuesday, one can't help but wonder whether the Dolphins would consider doing Campbell a solid by sending him to a contender to give him a final chance of earning the Super Bowl ring that's eluded him in his career.

The Dolphins likely couldn't fetch more than a late-round pick for a 38-year-old player, but it's easy to see a contender with a need up front making that kind of move, even if it's likely a move for just the rest of the 2024 season.

This is the kind of move the Dolphins certainly would consider or have to consider if they lose at Buffalo on Sunday and fall to 2-6 at the trade deadline, no matter how thin it would leave their already-depleted defensive line.

VETERANS WHO LIMPED TO THE FINISH LINE WITH THE DOLPHINS

As mentioned before, there's quite the list of big-name veterans who ended their careers with the Dolphins with a forgettable stint, whether because of injury or poor performance.

That list would include Thurman Thomas, Cris Carter, Mario Williams, Arian Foster, Will Fuller, Josh Sitton, and Jay Cutler — and we're probably forgetting a few.

Shoot, Shaq Barrett didn't even make it to training camp after signing with the Dolphins, so it doesn't get more forgettable than that.

WILL BECKHAM BECOME THE LATEST?

After his first three games with the team, we must now seriously ask whether Odell Beckham, Jr. will join the infamous list.

Since being activated from PUP, Beckham has played 11 offensive snaps in each of his three games, has been targeted only three times, and has yet to record a catch. On Sunday, he was not targeted once in Tua Tagovailoa's return to the lineup against the Arizona Cardinals.

This is where we bring back Beckham's words from his introductory press conference when he talked about wanting to create a storybook ending to his ending.

Needless to say, so far, this ain't it.

There's still time to change that, but there's no guarantee it will happen.

In the meantime, Campbell just keeps producing game after game, continuing to be a rare exception to a nasty trend.