Campbell Expected Back from COVID List Today

De'Vondre Campbell, who has had one of the best seasons by any linebacker in the NFL this year, spent the week prepping virtually for Sunday night's game vs. the Bears.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Green Bay Packers linebacker De’Vondre Campbell is expected to return to the team on Friday and be available for Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears after testing positive for COVID-19 last week.

“It’s kind of the new normal,” defensive coordinator Joe Barry said on Thursday evening. “Thank God for Mr. Zoom or whoever invented that just in the simple fact that De’Vondre hasn’t missed anything except, obviously, he hasn’t been on the field, but every single one of our meetings. So, thank goodness for that.”

Campbell tested positive for COVID on Nov. 30, two days into their bye after beating the Los Angeles Rams. He spent the first part of this week prepping virtually via Zoom and his team-issued iPad.

“He’s been in all the meetings and all that kind of thing,” position coach Kirk Olivadotti said on Thursday evening. “And then we talked to each other and we’ve watched all the film. We’ve stayed in pretty good communication all week, anyway. It’s definitely different, but I liken it to when a guy kind of needs a break from practice a little bit. It’s very similar except, obviously, the field portion of the stuff. But this isn’t an uncommon situation this time of year in that, you know, you’re getting a guy ready on limited practice reps. That does happen in an NFL season.”

Campbell has played a huge role in a defense that ranks fifth in points and seventh in yards to help power the team’s 9-3 start. He is 14th in the NFL with 98 tackles.

According to Sports Info Solutions, of the 21 linebackers with more than 85 tackles, his average tackle distance of 2.1 yards ranks seventh, his 4.9 yards allowed per target in the passing game ranks third and his 4.9 percent missed-tackle rate ranks fourth.

Coach Matt LaFleur on Thursday said Campbell will be clearing the final parts of the COVID protocol on Friday so wouldn’t be available to practice. Nonetheless, his studious approach and veteran savvy should be enough to get him ready for Sunday night against the Chicago Bears, as was the case for Aaron Rodgers when he returned and played with no practice reps against Seattle.

“That’s what you have to rely on,” Olivadotti said. “You trust a guy to get himself ready to play. I’m supplementing him because he works so hard to get himself ready to play, and anything I give him just supplements his own preparation. That’s when you’ve got things operating and, hopefully, that’s where we’re at. Because I know he works his butt off every week, not just this week to get himself to get ready to play. And then everything that we can give him as coaches just adds to his preparation. He takes all that stuff very seriously and he has been this week and the entire year.”

Added to the team in June, long after the first waves of free agency were complete, Campbell’s been a stud. He was the NFC Defensive Player of the Month for October. While it’s a 17-game season, Campbell is on a 16-game pace of 131 tackles, 5.3 tackles for losses, 5.3 passes defensed, 2.7 interceptions and 2.7 forced fumbles. The NFL has been keeping tackles-for-loss and fumble stats since 1999. Nobody has had that kind of a season for the Packers in the following 21 seasons.

So, getting him back for Sunday night against the Bears will be a big deal as the Packers continue their pursuit of the No. 1 seed.

“If he’s not in a meeting, he’s in the linebacker room with his iPad in his hand, watching something, studying something,” Barry said. “You never want a guy to be out of the building for 10 days, obviously. Thank goodness part of it was over the bye week, but if there’s a guy that can function without being in the building the last four days when we’ve been back, it’s a type of pro like De’Vondre Campbell just because of the way he prepares and studies and goes about the game.”

The Outlook for Za'Darius Smith

Here's #Packers OLB coach Mike Smith from yesterday on what's ahead for Za'Darius Smith. When the Packers play on Sunday, it will mark exactly three months since his one and only game of this season.https://t.co/kf3lv7tbAh

— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) December 10, 2021