TEMPE, Ariz. – If it was up to Calais Campbell, he would be playing Sunday against Philadelphia.
But Arizona Cardinals coach Bruce Arians will be the one who makes that call, and Arians said Friday that that status of his 6-foot-8 defensive end will be a game-time decision.
“When he’s ready to go, he’s ready to go,” Arians said.
Campbell was listed as limited in practice Thursday and Friday, but said he pushed himself hard this week to see how his right sprained MCL will respond.
“I feel explosive and everything, so it depends on what you consider limited,” Campbell said. “In my opinion, I feel like I can play football and help the team win.”
Campbell has missed the last two games after suffering a knee injury when Denver tight end Julius Thomas illegally chop-blocked Campbell in Week 5. Without him, Arizona has continued its dominating pace against rushing offenses, ascending to the top of the NFL’s rush defense rankings.
If Campbell returns Sunday, he won’t be given a snap count, Arians said. Instead, the coach will trust Campbell to determine his own limits, leaving how many snaps Campbell plays “strictly” up to him. If he’s active, Campbell doesn’t think he’ll play the majority of the game.
“I know that no matter what, going out there having the last two weeks off, my reps won’t be as high,” Campbell said. “I’ll have to rotate, even if I’m going to be able to be out there. The big thing is giving everything I have and being honest with the training staff and my coaches and myself, and just making sure I’m doing what’s best to help the team.”
Campbell’s toughest obstacle to overcome might be the brace on his right leg.
He’s said Friday it’s more of a preventative measure than anything so he doesn’t further injure his knee. Campbell said he has “pretty good” function with the brace on, though.
“That’s different,” Campbell said. “I’ve never played with a brace on my knee before. So, I just got to get used to it. I felt explosive and I was able to play football the way I like to play football.”
If Campbell arrives at University of Phoenix Stadium feeling as well as he did after Friday’s practice, he said he’ll be good to play. But the decision will still be left to Arians.
“There’s nobody quite like him,” Arians said. “Even if he’s 90 percent, the energy he brings, just the respect that he brings, that you want him on the field.”