Watch: Former XFL star P.J. Walker with 60-yard pass to rookie Terrace Marshall Jr.

Former XFL star P.J. Walker and rookie receiver Terrace Marshall Jr. hooked up for a big play against the Colts.

In three seasons with LSU, and with Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase taking a lot of the targets, Terrace Marshall Jr. caught 106 passes for 1,594 yards and 23 touchdowns. In 2020, with Jefferson off to take the NFL by storm and Chase opting out, Marshall led the Tigers with 48 catches and 10 touchdowns, and only Kayshon Boutte had more receiving yards (735) than Marshall’s 731. The Panthers selected Marshall with the 59th overall pick in the second round of the 2021 draft, and by most accounts, the Panthers got themselves a bit of a steal.

It didn’t take long for Marshall to prove his talent at the NFL level — with 8:51 left in the first quarter of Carolina’s Sunday preseason game against the Colts, Marshall got open against some “interesting” Colts coverage for a 60-yard gain.

Yes, we should also talk about Panthers backup quarterback P.J. Walker here. Walker showed excellent escapability to make the throw, and it’s not the first time we’ve seen him do that. The Colts actually released Walker from their roster in 2019, which allowed him to join the then-relevant XFL, where he became a star with the Houston Roughnecks. In 2020, the Steelers asked the league if they could take Walker on loan for a look, and Commissioner Oliver Luck nixed that idea.

“Once you’re under contract with the XFL, you’re under contract, regardless of position,: Luck told Thomas Bassinger of the Tampa Bay Times. “We’re not trying to be a development league for the NFL. That’s not our raison d’être. Having said that, I hope that every one of the [Tampa Bay] Vipers players has a chance to go to the NFL after our season because that means we’ve done our job in terms of playing good football. Bust your butt, play hard, have a chance to get great game tape and you’ll get a shot in the NFL. We are a league of opportunity.”

Luck’s son, Andrew Luck, told his father to make sure Walker was part of the league, based on Walker’s time with the Colts when Andrew Luck was still there.

“Andrew had been pushing him to me,” Oliver Luck told John McClain of the Houston Chronicle. “He said, ‘Dad, I’m telling you, this guy can play. He’s a good kid and a hard worker, and he’s hungry to play.’”

In June Jones’ offense, Walker thrived with Mahomes-style sidearm throws…

…throwing on the run for touchdowns…

…and some more of that aforementioned escapability.

Walker hasn’t quite caught on in the NFL yet, but the NFL has been watching him, and perhaps this is the situation that will give him some traction.