Tag: Quay Walker

The Green Bay Packers ruled out linebacker Quay Walker after he suffered an ankle injury in the second half of Sunday night’s showdown with the Seattle Seahawks.

Walker was injured on a first down play with 3:37 to go in the first half. He walked off the field under his own power but was ruled out for the game coming out of half time.

Walker was replaced by veteran Eric Wilson, who promptly delivered the pressure that led to Carrington Valentine’s interception of Geno Smith in the end zone.

The Packers returned rookie Edgerrin Cooper from a hamstring injury this week. Cooper, who will work with Wilson and Isaiah McDuffie the rest of the way, had a sack in the first half. The Packers also have rookie Ty’Ron Hopper as a reserve at linebacker.

Walker started 13 of the Packers’ first 14 games this season. He came into Week 15 with a team-high 99 tackles, plus 2.5 sacks, nine tackles for loss and two pass breakups. Two of his best games came recently against the San Francisco 49ers and Miami Dolphins.

The Packers don’t play again until next Monday night against the New Orleans Saints at Lambeau Field.

The Green Bay Packers secured their highly sought after revenge on Sunday, trouncing the San Francisco 49ers by 28 points. The 49ers were down some key pieces, but that doesn’t completely diminish some standout performances from Packers players—most notably linebacker Quay Walker.

Walker easily had his best game of the season in Week 12, tallying seven tackles, one pass breakup, two pressures, and four stops classified as “failures” for the offense, according to Pro Football Focus.

Walker earned a defensive grade of 91.4 from PFF, the second-highest grade of his career. While PFF grades aren’t the ultimate authority on player evaluation, they painted an accurate picture of Walker’s impact against San Francisco.

What isn’t disputable is Walker’s tape from Sunday, which is what we’re looking at in this week’s film room.

Let’s begin.

Walker rushed the passer five times in Week 12, with two resulting in pressures. On this third-down blitz, Rashan Gary was credited with the sack, but Walker was disruptive nonetheless. Although a bit out of control, he penetrated the backfield, forcing the quarterback off his spot, and didn’t give up on the play after hitting the ground. Ultimately, Walker did his job and helped get the defense off the field.

As a former first-round draft pick, Walker is expected to make this play. But despite not being able to hold onto the interception, he did have excellent coverage. Deebo Samuel is running an in-breaker behind Walker to try to pick up a decent chunk on 2nd-and-15. Walker read the play perfectly, as he had great awareness of Samuel before reverting his eyes to the quarterback. Overall, it was still a good play that could have been a great play.

This is where Walker’s skill set shines. He’s a rangy linebacker capable of playing sideline to sideline. On this play, San Francisco tries to get Christian McCaffrey the ball in space on the edge, but Walker tracked him the entire way. He fought through the block and never lost sight of the ball carrier before closing in to make the tackle, preventing what could have been a big run.

Here, we see Walker’s athleticism and processing skills on display again. He beat the reaching blocker to the point of attack and kept his eyes on the running back. Once in position, Walker did a nice job of coming to balance to assist with the tackle.

In the past, we’ve seen Walker get too aggressive and run himself out of a play. This rep was a lot better, as he fills the cut-back lane, comes to balance, and keeps his leverage. Hopefully, this is a sign of growth from Walker.

This is why it’s so hard to give up on Walker. While Walker has had some disappointing stretches, his talent is undeniable. His play speed and range allow him to beat blockers to the point of attack and limit ball carriers to minimal gains or losses, as seen here. Walker also did a nice job swiping down on McCaffrey’s stiff arm to get the tackle.

Conclusion

It’s difficult to draw sweeping conclusions from this one because it was only one game. That said, it was definitely a step in the right direction and hopefully indicates Walker is finding his way in a new scheme.

What’s clear from the tape is that Walker is an extremely versatile linebacker. He’s arguably the best coverage linebacker on the team, though you would like him to capitalize on interception opportunities. He’s also an effective blitzer capable of creating havoc in passing situations. Those opportunities aren’t likely to disappear anytime soon.

As a run defender, Walker is at his best when he can stay clean and not have to deconstruct blocks. This can be difficult when offensive linemen are engaging him in confined spaces and not reaching out in space. While Walker may be best suited for WILL (weakside) linebacker, he’s currently the team’s top option at MIKE (middle) linebacker.

In the end, Walker may never be an All-Pro, but he is a solid starter you can win with at inside linebacker. For him to take the next step, being more consistent will be key.

Green Bay Packers linebacker Quay Walker is still getting familiar with his role in a new defense. However, Walker has enjoyed learning Jeff Hafley’s scheme, which he says is similar to what he ran as a member of the National Champion Georgia Bulldogs.

“It’s a lot of stuff that I did in college, and I think it translates very well for a lot of us,” said Walker. “It fits what we do, and not only that, I think Hafley has done a great job of putting us in the right position.

“I love it so far.”

These are encouraging words from one of Green Bay’s most talented defensive players, whose goal is to ascend into one of the league’s top playmaking linebackers. The 2022 first-round pick is coming off back-to-back seasons in which he led the team in tackles. Still, Walker needs to be more consistent and make the most of opportunities when they arise.

Last year, Walker dropped multiple interceptions that could have changed the perception around his second season. It wasn’t a bad year by any means, but he didn’t exactly build upon his rookie campaign, especially in coverage.

As a first-year starter, Walker allowed 31 out of 46 passes (67.4%) against his coverage for 9.8 yards per reception, according to Pro Football Focus. Last season, he allowed 46 out of 54 passes (85.4%) against his coverage for 10.8 yards per reception. Fortunately, he cut down on missed tackles, dropping his season total from 13 to 8.

Even though Walker is still unsure about what he will be asked to do on defense, Matt LaFleur stated during OTAs that Walker will “more than likely” wear the green dot helmet in 2024, meaning he will be the team’s primary defensive communicator. That responsibility was previously owned by veteran De’Vondre Campbell, who was released in March.

In a similar spot to what the offense was experiencing a year ago, Green Bay still has a lot to iron out on the defensive side of things between now and the start of the regular season. That said, Walker told Larry McCarren of Packers.com that he thinks they are in a good spot.

“Mr. Larry, I’d be lying to you if I said we wasn’t because, honestly, I’ve been on a championship team and I understand that it’s college and this is the NFL, but the chemistry is there already. Anytime you have a team where the chemistry is there, that’s a good, good sign.”