New England Patriots
“A guy that I didn’t really know before I got out there, but I definitely feel like I can reach out to him if I needed to is Dion Dawkins,” Campbell said.
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As he prepared for his second NFL season, Will Campbell spent some time training in the offseason with a bunch of Pro Bowl caliber left tackles.
Tristan Wirfs, Lane Johnson, and Rashawn Slater were among those whom Campbell mentioned.
Campbell said it would have been “dumb” not to take advantage of the opportunity to learn from other players who have reached the level he is trying to get to.
“They’ve all played almost 10 years plus, and all of them are All-Pro at some point,” Campbell said. “So yeah, I mean, they know what they’re talking about.”
He’s not above taking advice from a rival, either. Campbell wasn’t familiar with Buffalo left tackle Dion Dawkins before this offseason. Now, Dawkins is a valued contact.
“A guy that I didn’t really know before I got out there, but I definitely feel like I can reach out to him if I needed to is Dion Dawkins,” Campbell said. “I had never met him before. I met with Wirfs and I had known Lane a little bit, but Dion was probably a guy I didn’t know and we got to know each other a little bit.”
The Patriots and Bills split the regular-season series last year. Every year since 2009, it’s been either the Bills or the Patriots who have won the AFC East. The Bills are favored to win the division this year. New England won it last year.
Campbell was enjoying a solid rookie season before an MCL injury sidelined him for several weeks and hampered him during the second-half of the season.
Pro Football Focus gave Campbell a 72.6 overall grade, which ranked 32nd among qualified tackles, including players from both the left and right sides. His pass block grade was 23rd. He allowed 26 pressures and five sacks over the 17 game regular-season schedule. The bulk of the sacks were against Myles Garrett, a five-time first-team All-Pro selection.
The playoffs were a different story. Campbell allowed 14 pressures in the Super Bowl, the highest single-game total of any NFL player all season.
Campbell says he’s healthy now and added that he feels great. He reached out to Johnson in an effort to improve his game. He made some new contacts and learned from several players who are accomplished at his position.
“Just a ton of knowledge. I worked with a lot of guys who have been around a long time and done it at a high level for a long time,” Campbell said. “Anything they could teach me that can help me whether that’s football or off the field or just training or being around them in the same environment. I always want to put myself in the best position possible.”
Khari A. Thompson
Khari Thompson covers professional sports for Boston.com. Before joining the team in 2022, Khari covered college football for The Clarion Ledger in Jackson, Miss.
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