It’s easy to find hopium through training camp practices and reports.
That can be dangerous, but at least it can also offer clues on who to pay closer attention to as joint team practices and preseason games draw closer. In a do-or-die year for Todd Bowles’s defense, there have been some early bright spots that should be stoking some excitement.
Namely, pass rusher David Walker, who tore his ACL during last training camp, seems to have rebounded in a big way. If reports are to be believed, Walker has
been consistently disruptive, logging a would-be sack in eight straight practices so far.
The 2025 4th round pick received plenty of hype last year too, prior to his injury. Walker, who was one of the most dominant pass rushers in FCS history, carries an unorthodox, sawed-off frame (just under 6-1, 263 pounds) but pairs it with excellent power and bend. His physical limitations and subpar competition made him a Day 3 pick, but the potential has always existed.
Smartly not counting on a recovering Walker being a primary solution to the ailing pass rush, the Buccaneers already invested heavily in the position this off-season. They signed Al-Quadin Muhammad in free agency and drafted prolific Miami edge rusher Reuben Bain Jr. in the first round to team with stalwart Yaya Diaby, who’s entering a contract year.
GM Jason Licht went so far as to say this week that excitement for Walker has been on an “even plane” with Bain, and Bain has been impressive in his own right so that’s really saying something.
With the re-stocked edge rushing corps getting the added benefit of Walker looking fully recuperated, the Bucs might just be able to turn their pass-rushing luck around. Tampa has failed to see any player record double-digit sacks in nearly five years, when Shaq Barrett notched 10 in 2021. More often than not, it’s defensive tackles who have been leading the charge on the sack front (namely Vita Vea), and while interior pressure is important, no threats on the edge will too often leave the opposing QB unpressured and the coverage unit out to dry.
If Walker can maintain his torrid start, he’d be an invaluable rotational rusher to relieve Diaby and Bain, as well as mixing and matching with them and Muhammad to create diverse pressure packages.
With the first game against the New York Jets coming August 14, eyes will be on Walker to see if there’s indeed something to be excited about.
