It would truly go down as one of the Green Bay Packers' most notable training camp surprises in years. Anthony Campbell didn't play a single snap as a rookie in the NFL, and this came a year after tallying only 47 snaps with one tackle for the Miami Hurricanes in 2024. He doesn't even have a Wikipedia page.
Yet Campbell has turned heads at training camp, and he can now force his way firmly into the Packers' 53-man roster conversation.
Scroll through social media during practice this summer, and you probably saw his name. Campbell has batted down so many passes that he might've been the Packers' best cornerback last season. He has impressed as a run defender, and there have also been some flashes as a pass rusher.
Anthony Campbell has been literally everywhere this #Packers training camp.
— Kyle Malzhan (@KyleMalzhan) August 10, 2026
According to Pete Dougherty of the Green Bay Press-Gazette, Campbell went 4-0 on pass-rush reps during a practice on August 4. And he wasn't just winning against practice squad players, either.
"Besides beating (Anthony) Belton twice in that period, he also smoked fifth-round pick Jager Burton right off the snap on another rep, and later manhandled guard Josh Gesky," Dougherty writes.
Three massive auditions now stand in Campbell's way, beginning on Thursday night in Pittsburgh.
Anthony Campbell can force the Packers into a tough decision with a preseason statement
Campbell has made plays all summer long at practice. It'll be a completely different conversation if he can star during the upcoming preseason games and a joint practice with the Arizona Cardinals. That's his opportunity to put the Packers in a tough position.
Breaking into the defensive line room won't be easy.
Veterans Devonte Wyatt and Javon Hargrave lead the way. Third-round rookie Chris McClellan isn't far behind. Then there's reliable veteran Karl Brooks and second-year players Warren Brinson and Nazir Stackhouse. It at one stage looked like Stackhouse could be the player to miss out, but he's impressed at training camp and taken some first-team reps.
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Campbell might need to force the Packers to keep an additional interior lineman. There's no doubt that he faces an uphill battle.
But that hasn't stopped him to this point.
"It's not over yet," Campbell said this week, via Bill Huber of Packers On SI. "It's working but, at the end of the day, I want to look back and I'm saying, 'Damn, I'm strong.'"
It's impossible not to root for him. The unlikeliest of training camp stories remains exactly that – unlikely. But no longer impossible.
Campbell should see extensive playing time in the preseason. If he's lucky, he may even get some snaps against Aaron Rodgers on Thursday night. Rodgers could start, although it's unclear how long he'd be out there for.
It'll take some kind of preseason statement. Batting down one of Rodgers' passes would be a start, or breaking through for a sack or pressure. Campbell has had plenty of those big-time moments at training camp, but the difference between making the roster or settling for a practice squad spot could come down to whether he translates that success into the preseason.
The upcoming joint practice with the Cardinals is another big opportunity. Practicing against another team can crank up the competitiveness. In many ways, it's a better test than a preseason contest.
Campbell has been an unlikely standout at training camp. If he can build on his success in the preseason, the Packers will be left with a huge decision.
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