Skip to main content

Dolphins' Jonnu Smith says teammate Calais Campbell is 'like the LeBron James of the NFL'


The Miami Dolphins have battled their fair share of turbulence this season.

At one point, the Dolphins owned a 2-6 record. However, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa's return from injury has stabilized the team's offense and has helped Miami win its past two games. 

During the offseason, former Miami Hurricanes star Calais Campbell decided to return to South Florida and signed with the Dolphins.

The six-time Pro Bowler is in the midst of his 17th NFL season, and the experienced veteran defensive tackle has made a profound impact on the 2024 Dolphins — if you ask one of his teammates. Tight end Jonnu Smith recently praised Campbell, 38, for continuing to showcase his ability to be a key contributor.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Oct 27, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins tight end Jonnu Smith (9) enters the field before the game against the Arizona Cardinals at Hard Rock Stadium. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)

"Calais is one of my favorite teammates in all the sports that I've played," Smith said during an appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show."

Campbell recorded his fourth sack of the year during Miami's 34-19 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 11. Campbell's four sacks are the most by any player on the Dolphins roster this season. He now has 109.5 career sacks.

WHY COWBOYS SHOULD GO ALL-IN FOR DEION, SHEDEUR SANDERS DESPITE DAK PRESCOTT'S CONTRACT

The veteran defensive lineman has also played an important role in Miami's run defense. But, Campbell's impact extends beyond the football field. The 2019 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year has brought more leadership to the Dolphins locker room.

Nov 11, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Calais Campbell (93) leaves the field after the game against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium. (Kirby Lee-Imagn Images)

"He's like the LeBron James of the NFL right now as far as his age and the production that he brings to the game, still playing at a high level. I mean, the guy is 1,000 years old and playing like he's 21."

Campbell is among the short list of NFL athletes who have played the defensive lineman position who have been able to continue playing — let alone make an impact — once they reached their late-30s. 

Sep 8, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Calais Campbell (93) celebrates after the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars  at Hard Rock Stadium. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)

Smith, who was also teammates with Campbell in Atlanta with the Falcons last season, then described Campbell as the "best leader" he's "been around.

If Campbell is able to log two more sacks over the course of the Dolphins' seven remaining games, he will pass former Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald for 40th on the all-time list.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The Dolphins will welcome the New England Patriots in Week 12 for an AFC East division showdown. 

Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Chantz Martin is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

NBA Rumors: LeBron James' Son Bronny Is on Draft Boards of 'Multiple Teams'

Chris Coduto/Getty Images Bronny James' USC team has struggled this season, but that reportedly hasn't stopped the NBA interest in the son of legend LeBron James. "When I talk to people around the league, he's on the draft boards of multiple teams," Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported Thursday: Charania noted teams around the league believe he is "further along" on the defensive side of the ball than the offensive side, which makes performances like Wednesday's all the more important. The USC freshman finished with 11 points, six assists and five rebounds while shooting 5-of-11 from the field in one of his best offensive showings of the season in a loss to Arizona. The only game that he scored more points in was a Dec. 30 loss to Oregon State when he finished with 15 on 6-of-11 shooting from the field. Perhaps most importantly, James played a season-high 30 minutes against the Wildcats on Wedn...

What Happened to the Rivalry Between LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony? - Bleacher Report

They were two young stars with unique and special abilities on the basketball court. They had recently played in a high-attention scholastic contest against each other. They were both selected in the same draft. The LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony rivalry was supposed to be the best individual rivalry since Magic and Bird. But while the relationship between Bird and Johnson is dramatized in a new Broadway play , Anthony and James will meet for the 15th time in their careers and do so without much fanfare. James and Anthony first met in a USA developmental camp in 2001 . Much like how Johnson raved about Bird after they played together on a college All-Star team playing in an international tournament, James couldn’t stop talking about Anthony. The two squared off in a high school showcase game the following year that pitted the player regarded as the best senior in the country (Anthony) against the one that was the best junior in the country (James), a game Anthony’s team wo...

‘So You Think You Can Dance’ 18 episode 3 recap: In ‘Auditions: Day Three,’ one hopeful was like ‘the LeBron James of dance’

"So You Think You Can Dance" season 18 ended the first stage of the competition on Monday night, March 18, with the last dance hopefuls looking for a spot in the choreography round. So far the bar has been set pretty high by standout performances from dancers representing a variety of dance styles, shapes, sizes and ability levels. So who stood out among the last crop of contestants? Did the show save the best for last? "We've put 25 people through," said judge Allison Holker at the start of the show. She singled out contemporary dancer Braylon Browner and gymnast Dakayla Wilson as standouts from the first two days of auditions. Comfort Fedoke agreed that Wilson is capable of anything a professional choreographer could throw at her. Maksim Chmerkovskiy was especially impressed by contemporary dancer Easton Magliarditi . But "there's so many other things outside of dance that we're also looking at." More from GoldDerby SEE ...