Patriots' Will Campbell Reveals Advice From Eagles Legend After Backlash for Super Bowl Performance

New England Patriots offensive tackle Will Campbell got some helpful guidance from a notable peer heading into the 2026 NFL season.

The second-year lineman told ESPN's Mike Reiss that longtime Philadelphia Eagles tackle Lane Johnson suggested to him he had "to be very honest with yourself about the season."

"I felt like before I got hurt [Nov. 23], I was playing some solid ball," Campbell said. "And after that, I didn't play the way I needed to play. So just learning from it, fixing it. After the season, I was just worried about getting healthy, building my strength back to where I knew it needed to be and coming into [spring practices] ready to go, trying to do everything I can to put myself in the best position possible to help the team."

The criticism toward Campbell was acute following New England's loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl LX. Quarterback Drake Maye was sacked six times and faced steady pressure all game. Across the entire postseason, he absorbed 21 sacks.

After the Super Bowl, Campbell revealed he had been playing through a knee injury, which partially explains his performance against Seattle.

On the whole, the 2025 first-round pick had an encouraging rookie season. Starting at left tackle is a lot to ask of a first-year player, and New England becoming a playoff contender only added to his burden.

Campbell told Reiss he spent a small portion of his offseason working out with Johnson and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Tristan Wirfs, Buffalo Bills' Dion Dawkins and Kansas City Chiefs' Creed Humphrey. He called the group "all super nice to me and welcoming."

"They've played a lot of football at a high level," he said. "Lane and Tristan have both won Super Bowls, so they have everything a young, aspiring tackle in this league wants by the time they're that age. It was not only being able to hang out, but seeing how they work, and just to get in there and compete and soak up anything I can from them."

The Patriots used a top-five selection on Campbell in the hope he becomes an elite outside blocker for a long time to come. It sounds like he put in the time to make that happen.