There were times when Falcons linebacker De’Vondre Campbell couldn’t read the numbers on the scoreboard. His eyesight was that bad.
But after offseason Lasik surgery, Campbell, who is being moved from weakside linebacker to strongside linebacker, can see clearly now.
“It’s different,” said Campbell, who no longer wears eye glasses. “At first, I didn’t really think it would be that effective. I’ve noticed a huge difference. I can see everything a lot more clearer.”
Campbell was initially reluctant to have the surgery.
“I think it was one of the best things I’ve done,” said Campbell, who started 13 of 19 games as a rookie fourth-round pick out of Minnesota last season. “I got some outside opinions. I knew a few guys outside (the team). I talked to our training staff about trying to connect me with the best people that they could get me in contact with to get it done.”
During the two-minute drill at end of Tuesday’s minicamp practice, Campbell found he could read the scoreboard just fine.
Campbell played 547 defensive snaps last season, which trailed only Deion Jones (896) and Vic Beasley (671) in the linebacker unit. He finished with 48 tackles, seven pass breakups, an interception and a forced fumble.
All of that accomplished with limited vision.
“I was just playing,” Campbell said. “No goggles. No contacts. No prescription visor. No nothing. But it wasn’t an excuse. I knew it was something that I was dealing with. It was something I was just embracing at the time.”
The Falcons are pleased with the results. Coach Dan Quinn no longer sees Campbell squinting to focus on things right in front of him.
“You see him without his glasses now,” Quinn said.
The Falcons believe that Campbell can thrive at strongside linebacker. At 6-foot-4 and 234 pounds, he will be used in some man-to-man defense on tight ends in pass coverage.
“He always seems so big, but he can run,” Quinn said. “The guys, just think in our own division, who we have to match up on in Carolina, New Orleans and Tampa, who added another tight end to their team.”
Carolina has tight end Greg Olsen, who has three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. New Orleans has Coby Fleener and Tampa Bay took former Alabama standout O.J. Howard in the first round of the NFL draft.
“He’s a guy with the kind of versatility who can match up,” Quinn said.
To help Campbell prepare, the Falcons are pitting him with second-year tight end Austin Hooper in practice.
“I love the battles with Campbell and Hopper going after it together,” Quinn said. “We stress those opportunities for when they get a chance to match up against one another.”
Quinn has used a similar practice matchup philosophy by pairing center Alex Mack against defensive tackle Grady Jarrett and shifty wide receiver Nick Williams against nickel back Brian Poole.
Minicamp has provided Campbell his first on-field experience with his new vision.
“I can see everything night-and-day better that I could last year,” Campbell said. “I noticed it the first time I walked out here (onto the practice fields.).”
Campbell has quickly grasped the responsibilities as he transitions to his new position.
“I’m coming along pretty well,” he said. “I have a better understanding of the defense, a better understanding of my responsibility and everybody else’s responsibility at my previous position. But now that I’m playing SAM (strongside linebacker), I’m trying to develop myself at that position.
“It’s not much of a change from where I was playing last year. I’ll just be playing up on the line of scrimmage a little bit more than normal.”
Said linebackers coach Jeff Ulbrich, “De’Vondre is going to (improve by) leaps and bounds.”
Campbell wants to progress from his strong rookie season.
“Honestly, I think I had an up-and-down season,” he said. “My injury (high ankle sprain) kind of set me back a little bit and kind of knocked me off track. Overall, it was solid.”
