The Tampa Bay Buccaneers never really got an opportunity to see what David Walker Jr. could do during his rookie season. A torn ACL ended his year before it began, but Walker is quickly making up for those lost reps in his second training camp.
ESPN’s Jenna Laine highlighted Walker as one of the standouts from practice after the second-year outside linebacker made another play in the backfield. Walker strip-sacked backup quarterback Jake Browning near the end of practice and recovered the fumble himself.
It wasn’t an isolated play either. According to Laine, Walker has recorded a sack in just about every practice so far, giving Tampa Bay another intriguing option in a pass rush that underwent plenty of changes this offseason.
Head coach Todd Bowles has been particularly impressed by Walker’s versatility since he’s been healthy.
“We didn’t get to see him in pads last year, but to see him out there and the way he moves — he moves like an inside backer, but he plays like an outside backer, and he’s got great power,” Bowles said.
That combination could give Bowles some options with Walker’s role. At 6-foot-1 and more than 260 pounds, Walker doesn’t have the traditional length of some edge defenders, but his power and movement skills allow him to attack from different spots.
Tampa Bay already added first-round pick Rueben Bain Jr. and veteran Al-Quadin Muhammad to a group that includes YaYa Diaby and Chris Braswell. That creates plenty of competition for snaps, but Walker is doing about everything he can to force himself into the conversation.
After losing his entire rookie season, Walker isn’t simply working his way back. He’s becoming one of the young defenders worth watching as camp continues.
This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: Todd Bowles loves what he is seeing from David Walker in camp
Reporting by Mason Riney, Buccaneers Wire / Bucs Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Mason Riney, Buccaneers Wire | USA TODAY Network
