Tag: anthony walker

Anthony Walker, Jamie Gillan placed on COVID-19 list, unlikely to play Sunday

Two more starters placed on the COVID-19 list and unlikely to play Sunday. Who could replace them? Internal options for one but will have to go external for a punter:

The Cleveland Browns have two more issues to deal with going into their Week 14 matchup with the Baltimore Ravens. The team announced that starting linebacker Anthony Walker and punter Jamie Gillan was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

The two starters join tight end David Njoku on the list.

Going on the list on Thursday makes it highly unlikely that either Walker or Gillan will be available for Sunday whether they are vaccinated or not.

In place of Walker, the Browns may have some options. Malcolm Smith stepped in earlier this season while Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah could take on some of Walker’s role as well. Jacob Phillips was designated to return from injured reserve this week but is not certain to be activated in time for the game.

The team does not have another punter on their team and would have to sign a free agent to fill that role.

At 6-6, Cleveland can’t afford to lose in Week 13 in a division game. The loss of Walker and Gillan, with Njoku likely out as well, depletes the roster and makes things difficult with only a couple of days left to prepare.

We will keep you up to date with roster moves to replace Walker and Gillan as soon as they are made.

Browns make multiple roster moves Saturday

Walker is officially off injured reserve, Jackson is back to the practice squad and elevated for Week 5 along with Moffatt, giving the team options given all their defensive injury concerns:

Due to injuries and Andrew Berry’s desire to make the team the best he can, the Cleveland Browns have been full of roster moves throughout the early part of the season. With five brought in for workouts on Friday, we can expect more moves to come next week as well.

Saturday, the Browns made multiple moves that impact their roster for Week 5:

  • LB Anthony Walker was officially activated from the injured reserve after being designated for return earlier in the week.
  • DE Joe Jackson, who was waived earlier in the week, was added to the team’s practice squad.
  • Jackson and S Jovante Moffatt were elevated from the team’s practice squad to the active roster for Week 5.

Neither Jackson or Moffatt are certain to be active for this week’s game but the moves give the team options depending on how their multiple questionable designated players react in warmups.

Jackson and Moffatt will revert back to the team’s practice squad following the conclusion of Week 5.

Walker’s return should bump Malcolm Smith to a reserve role and give the team more speed at the linebacker spot. With Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah producing well early as a rookie, Cleveland hopes pairing the rookie with Walker will give them the best defense possible against the run and pass.

Browns Anthony Walker returns from injured reserve; Elijah Lee returns

Two linebackers return for the Browns with Anthony Walker activated and Elijah Lee signed back to the practice squad:

The Cleveland Browns are 3 – 1 on the young 2021 NFL season but have been far from perfect. They have also been far from healthy including multiple starters missing multiple games along with Jedrick Wills leaving all four games this year.

The team is starting to get healthier with Ronnie Harrison cleared from concussion protocol (never being concussed in the first place), Chris Hubbard likely to return to activity this week, Greg Newsom II possible to play in Week 5 and, now, the return of Anthony Walker.

The Browns designated Walker for return from injured reserve and are expecting their defensive play-caller to return to the field this week. Walker was the team’s leading tackler in Week 1 against the Kansas City Chiefs but went on injured reserve shortly thereafter.

With the minimum three games on the reserved list finished, Walker’s return was likely after the team cut Elijah Lee on Tuesday.

Within their announcement of Walker’s return, the team also announced that Lee was added back to their practice squad. A spot on the practice squad opened up after the Houston Texans signed receiver Davion Davis off of it and onto their active roster.

With Walker’s return, it will be interesting how linebackers’ snaps are split up. Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah has played well in limited action but also has special teams responsibilities. Malcolm Smith filled in for Walker while he was gone and played well while Sione Takitaki and Mack Wilson have taken snaps as well.

Rookie Tony Fields III could see more time on special teams with Lee on the practice squad, unless the Browns elevate him for the game this week. Fields struggled with injuries throughout training camp.

Browns injuries: Harrison back, Wills MRI, Walker uncertain and more

What we know after Monday on the major Browns injuries has some good and some bad:

The Cleveland Browns are 3 – 1. At the end of the season, all that will matter is if they have enough wins to make it into the NFL playoffs and are good enough to compete when they get there.

For now, performance and injuries are the story.

The Browns struggled against the Houston Texans before Tyrod Taylor went out and Baker Mayfield struggled mightily against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 4. The defense has turned it around quickly, first against the struggling Chicago Bears and then against a very good offense on the road in Minnesota.

As always, the run game continues to do well, despite lower than expected PFF scores.

We reviewed a lot of the good and bad from the Week 4 victory here.

A lot of unknowns coming out of the game revolved around injury but we got updates on Monday that provide some clarity:

Browns will place LB Anthony Walker on injured reserve

Walker will miss at least 3 weeks with his hamstring injury

The injury hits keep coming for the Cleveland Browns, and now the middle of the defense takes a big hit. The Browns are placing starting linebacker Anthony Walker on injured reserve with his hamstring injury.

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Walker will miss at least the next three weeks on I.R., but the injured reserve rules have changed so that it is not a season-ending situation. Walker injured the hamstring during practice this week.

The Browns will miss Walker, who played all but two of the team’s defensive snaps in the Week 1 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Rookie Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah fared well in his debut as the other primary LB, but the depth at the position (Mack Wilson, Sione Takitaki, Malcolm Smith) has not impressed in the preseason or in Kansas City. To that end, the Browns are working out one-time first-rounder Reuben Foster on Friday.

Anthony Walker at practice but not participating with knee wrapped

In perhaps a good sign, the Browns defensive signal-caller is on the sidelines a day after getting injured. No updates yet on the condition of his knee.

The Cleveland Browns have dealt with some injury concerns during training camp. So far, the majority of them have been short term with the team able to exercise caution in the player’s return.

Yesterday, Anthony Walker went down with a knee injury that created concern that it would be more problematic than those kinds of injuries. An MRI was expected to help get a better understanding of what problem might exist in the knee.

There are still no updates on the result of the MRI but, in what could be a good sign, Walker is present at practice Tuesday. He is not participating and has a wrap on his knee:

 

The expectation is that the team will update Walker’s injury after practice but teams are not required to provide details during training camp, only during the regular season. Head coach Kevin Stefanski generally provides updates with time expected to miss using days or weeks but early in the process is vaguer.

We will keep you updated on all things Browns training camp right here at the Browns Wire including updates on Walker’s injury status.

Anthony Walker, not John Johnson III, to call defensive plays for Browns

When John Johnson III was signed there was thought he’d be the defensive play-caller (green dot) on the field instead it will be another free-agent addition, Anthony Walker.

The signing of John Johnson III was seen as one of the best decisions in free agency. The Cleveland Browns needed a talented, veteran to man the backend of their defense and Johnson is one of the best in the league.

Shortly after his signing, it was noted that he was the defensive play-caller on the field for the Los Angeles Rams. That role, also called the player with the “green dot” for the sticker placed on their helmet, is the quarterback of the defense.

With a variety of new starters and his ability to stay on the field for every play, it was expected that the Browns would also use Johnson in this role. Instead, Johnson shared today that fellow free-agent addition Anthony Walker will take that role:

 

It is commonplace for a linebacker to hold that distinction as they can communicate best to all levels of the defense from the middle of the formation. For Walker, known for his leadership, it is a chance to prove his worth in Cleveland after signing a one-year deal.

The decision to put Walker in this role also indicates that defensive coordinator Joe Woods sees him as a three-down player. Walker hasn’t been a full-time three-down linebacker so far in his career but some of that could be due to the presence of Darius Leonard in Indianapolis.

With Walker seemingly entrenched at one starting linebacker position, the rest of the Browns linebackers will fight for the other. Jacob Phillips and Malcolm Smith may have a leg up on rookie Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah due to their experience in the system last year and Owusu-Koramoah missing the start of camp due to COVID-19 restrictions.

A free agent signing will be calling the defense on the field, just not the one many expected. Get used to seeing a lot of #4 (Walker’s new number) on the field a lot for the Cleveland defense.

Greg Newsome II raves about Anthony Walker

The Browns top draft pick has the “best big brother” in the Browns free-agent addition at linebacker.

The Cleveland Browns have high hopes for the upcoming season with a good variety of veteran players and young guys. Greg Newsome II was the team’s top pick in the 2021 NFL draft while Anthony Walker was brought in for his veteran presence as well as play on the field.

For Newsome, stepping into a team with lofty goals can be overwhelming. Add that to the normal adjustments to the NFL and all that comes with it and it is clear why veteran leadership can be important.

For Newsome, he has found that leadership in Walker. While the two play different positions, the veteran linebacker has been a daily support for the rookie cornerback. Newsome even categorized Walker as a big brother:

 

That shouldn’t come as a surprise as Walker’s leadership has impressed many including his former All-Pro teammate Darius Leonard:

 

For the Browns to reach their lofty goals, Newsome will have to adjust to the NFL quickly and Walker will need to play a big role at linebacker. For now, as training camp kicks off, Walker is playing a big role in Newsome’s life to prepare him to help Cleveland as quickly as possible.

Browns LB Anthony Walker changes to an unusual jersey number

No, that’s not Phil Dawson playing LB for the Browns…

When watching the Cleveland Browns defense play this year, it will look a little strange to see a player wearing a No. 4 jersey in the middle.

No, it’s not Phil Dawson trying something new. The No. 4 jersey in Cleveland now belongs to linebacker Anthony Walker.

The LB is changing numbers from 54 to 4. While the Browns have not officially updated the roster, Walker donned the new jersey in Thursday’s minicamp session in Berea.

It’s a new look for Walker, who has worn more normal numbers for LBs (50 and 54) during his entire NFL career with the Indianapolis Colts. Walker sported No. 18 in college at Northwestern for two years before switching to No. 1 in his final Wildcats campaign.

The NFL changed the allowable jersey numbers for various positions this offseason. Linebackers are now allowed to wear numbers below 50, among the changes, and Walker is taking advantage of the rule change.

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Chris Ballard’s best moves of the 2021 offseason

The best moves Chris Ballard made this offseason.

With the conclusion of OTAs last week, the Indianapolis Colts will break for summer until returning at the end of July for training camp at Westfield.

The majority of moves are done for the Colts when it comes to constructing the roster for the 2021 season. The depth charts both on the offensive and defensive side of the ball are mostly set outside of some competition tweaking the order.

So with the majority of the moves having been already made, it’s time to look at the best ones that general manager Chris Ballard made this offseason.

It was a relatively quiet offseason for Ballard, though that is typically to be expected. They had plenty of holes to fill following the retirements of quarterback Philip Rivers and left tackle Anthony Castonzo.

He opted against making drastic moves in pre-draft free agency, signing a handful of depth players to compete for roles on the roster. Some big moves were made following the draft, but it was a quiet offseason for the most part.

There are still some moves to come like signing extensions for key players, but here’s a look at the best moves Ballard made this offseason at the end of the spring workouts: