Tampa Bay Buccaneers' David Walker walks out of his rookie season with a confirmed torn ACL
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers irked fans by waiting until the 4th round of the NFL draft last season to find a pass rusher, but when they did, it was a real catch. Central Arkansas product David Walker might be an undersized player with average speed, but his stats flabbergasted the Buccaneers' leadership.
A 191 tackles and 31 sacks backed by his stupendous performance during the Senior Bowl confirmed his seat in the Buccaneers' locker room. The rookie had a lot to prove to the fans, to the team that kept faith in him throughout. But before he could even lace up his shoes for that, an abrupt injury got in the way, and it came out worse than you thought.
David Walker ended his rookie season before it started
The NFL did a brutal job of postponing the dream of a 25-year-old when it meant the most.
Walker looked impressive in the camp and was on a mission to clinch a spot on the 53-man roster. Sure, it wouldn't be a cakewalk. But with proper training and hard reps, Walker had the potential to achieve that speed and the other tools to carve a path to professionalism. But now, he will have to wait for a season to sail smoothly.
On Friday's practice, Walker was seen crunching his legs in pain. It turned out he had torn his ACL.
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However, the severity of the injury remained unknown until an official confirmation was made on Monday, July 28th, dashing the hopes of many fans and veterans.
'
The Bucs suffered their first unfortunate season-ending injury during training camp as the team lost rookie outside linebacker David Walker to a torn ACL
,' Pewter Report's Scott Reynolds spilled. '
Walker suffered a knee injury at the very end of Friday's practice during a two-minute drill.'
The 6'2 will undergo surgery shortly.
What does David Walker's injury mean for the Buccaneers' preseason drive?
Walker has shown tremendous potential in the Buccaneers' linebacker room. His injury definitely came as a shock to Todd Bowles and the rest of the team, but not as a threat at all. The Bucs likely planned to kick-start their season with Haason Reddick and YaYa Diaby, while Walker butted heads with Anthony Nelson and Chris Braswell for the playing time.
Walker's walkout means a drop in their depth chart, especially after how they received back-to-back injury news. Tod Bowles didn't get his QB, Michael Pratt, to camp yet. "
He has a lower back injury, and he is week-to-week,
" stated Bowles. "
So, we do not know when his return will be, but he is still sore back there.''
However, the Bucs are clearly striving for greatness in the season with or without their rookie pass rusher, David Walker, or other injured guns on the line.
Also read:
Buffalo Bills look to end Super Bowl drought in 2025 but Kansas City Chiefs remain key threat | NFL News - Times of India
Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
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