What Does Falcons' Jimmy Lake Hiring Mean for Calais Campbell?

If Calais Campbell decides against retirement and returns to the Atlanta Falcons, he could play a different role in Jimmy Lake's defense.

What is the status of Atlanta Falcons defensive end Calais Campbell? 

While retirement is entirely a real possibility for the 37-year-old who signed with the Falcons last offseason, so is free agency, as his contract expires this offseason if he does choose to play another season. 

“Our whole staff right now, we’re actually looking at our current roster right now. Just looking at the guys currently on the roster," Falcons' new defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake said recently about the expiring contract of Calais Campbell. "We’ll start to look at free agents, but those type of phone calls will happen in the future.”

The return of Campbell would be big for a Falcons defense that is looking to build off the promising campaign they had under now Jacksonville Jaguars defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen. Campbell was a part of the improved unit, as he finished the season tied with Bud Dupree for the lead in sacks at 6.5. 

Dec 10, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Falcons defensive tackle Calais Campbell (93) and tight end MyCole Pruitt (85) leave the field after being defeated by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.  / Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

While the 16-year veteran is nearing the end of his career, his production last season proves he still has something left in the tank. This could be useful for a Falcons defense that, under the direction of new coordinator Lake, will change schematically. 

After shifting to a base 4-3 defense under Nielsen last season, Lake stated in his introductory press conference that he intends to revert Atlanta back to more of a 3-4 base system, which will be similar to the one previously run by Dean Pees.

“It will be a base 3-4 for sure, but very multiple as soon as teams go 11 or less personnel,” Lake said. “You could see us in a lot of different fronts with various coverages, and we’re going to lean on all of our experience that we’ve had over the years and also some of the stuff that the 2023 defense did here as well.”

So what does this change mean for the veteran Campbell? 

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It will be a slight change for Campbell in terms of alignment, as instead of traditionally playing as a traditional defensive end, he'll shift a little more inside to a four-technique (inside shoulder of the tackle). 

Although Lake said that the Falcons will be "multiple," so it doesn't mean that Campbell's days of coming off the edge are over, as he'll likely be moved around.