According to Fox Sports Greg Auman, the Indianapolis Colts are reuniting with former Tampa Bay Buccaneers veteran linebacker Anthony Walker Jr.—only this time, on the Horseshoe’s practice squad for now:
The 30-year-old linebacker was originally a 2017 5th round pick of the Colts and made 48 career starts (appearing in 57 career games)
over his first four seasons in the league with Indianapolis.
Walker Jr. is coming off a 2024 season for the Miami Dolphins defense, recording 68 tackles (34 solo), an interception, and 2 passes defensed during 14 games (8 starts). Per PFF, he earned just a +48.0 overall grade, but it also included a +69.4 run defense grade.
When he was younger with the Colts, Walker Jr. showed a knack for finding the football and was a sure tackler, but wasn’t as adept in space as when asked to defend in coverage. He’s somewhat similar to former Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Germaine Pratt in that regard, who new Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo just had with his prior Cincinnati defense.
With the Colts having recently placed 2nd-year linebacker on Jaylon Carlies (ankle) on injured reserve with a designation to return, the Colts are in need of additional positional depth.
With 83 career starts with the Colts, Cleveland Browns, and Dolphins, Walker Jr. brings a wealth of experience as a veteran linebacker. The Colts organization already knows him well too, given the prior familiarity there.
With Walker Jr.’s arrival, Colts practice squad currently stands at 18 players (and IPP player Maximilian Mang already counts towards the prior 17 players), so there may be another move coming to free up a spot.
