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A former Miami Dolphins player joined the Baltimore Ravens in free agency

The Miami Dolphins have moved on from most of the veterans on their roster after delivering back-to-back disappointing seasons which saw them miss the postseason.

In the previous two offseasons, the Dolphins added aging veteran talent as a way to boost their roster while giving them relatively inexpensive contracts.. Of course, the downside to that is they primarily signed players who were past their athletic primes and even if they provided value to the team that year, they were mostly a band-aid instead of a long-term solution.

Most of these players did not pan out for the Dolphins, and in some cases did not even finish out the year before being released. However, perhaps the most effective of these signings was defensive lineman Calais Campbell, who signed a one-year, $3 million contract with the Dolphins prior to the 2024 season. Now, the former Dolphins player has joined another AFC team.

Ravens Sign Former Miami Dolphins Defender

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Calais Campbell has signed a one-year deal with the Baltimore Ravens, one of the teams he previously played for before joining the Miami Dolphins.

Campbell, who has earned over $150 million in career earnings, will be 40 years old by the time the 2026 season kicks off. The six-time Pro Bowl selection has totaled 117 sacks in his illustrious career, and has shown that he is still capable of playing at a high level.

Campbell was among the best performers for the Dolphins in the 2024 season. While that Miami team disappointed, Campbell was not the issue. He finished No. 78 on ESPN’s top 100 MVP rankings as Seth Walder wrote of his season with the Dolphins:

“Campbell delivered an unbelievable campaign at age 38, registering his third straight season with five or more sacks. His 46% run stop win rate led all players, regardless of alignment, and he registered 12 tackles for loss. But his impact wasn’t only in the run game. Campbell also recorded a 12% pass rush win rate — his highest since 2020 — which ranked ninth among defensive tackles.”

With Miami’s team disappointing that season, Miami received trade offers for Calais Campbell, and even accepted one from the Baltimore Ravens, before former head coach Mike McDaniel nixed that deal. Now, Campbell will get a chance to return to the Ravens, a team he played three seasons with. He will also reunite with defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver, who was Miami’s defensive coordinator during the 2024 season.

Miami Dolphins Future

One of the reasons Miami opted to not trade Campbell during the 2024 season was the veteran leadership and example he provided younger players. Despite the team disappointing, they hoped to re-sign him for the 2025 season, but Campbell left and joined the Arizona Cardinals.

Now, the Dolphins are in a much different situation than they were last offseason when Campbell departed, but they are still looking for players that can provide that leadership and culture in the locker room.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler recently revealed that the team is hoping to get that out of rookies Chris Johnson and Jacob Rodríguez. Fowler wrote:

“The team considers first-round cornerback Chris Johnson (San Diego State) and second-round linebacker Jacob Rodriguez (Texas Tech) to be culture-builders.”