Philadelphia Eagles: What’s been going on with Joe Walker?
With everything that’s happened, we haven’t brought up Joe Walker recently.
Linebacker Joe Walker is yet another former member of the Oregon Ducks who’s managed to find his way into the Philadelphia Eagles locker room. We can’t say there was a ton of high hopes for his rookie season. He was taken in round seven of the 2016 NFL Draft at pick number 251. There was a chance, with all the issues the Eagles had at linebacker, that he could come in and play an important role in his first season of professional football.
That all came crashing down in a 2016 preseason game. On August 18th of last year, the Eagles took the field against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Walker tore his ACL and was placed on injured reserve, and he hasn’t been mentioned in great detail since then. That’s all probably about to change here in the near future.
A quick roster update:
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The Eagles, at the time of this article being published, have nine linebackers on the current roster. We know this unit will be built around Jordan Hicks, and we’re all very aware of the uncertainty surrounding Mychal Kendricks. There is, however, the theory that he could be gone in about a month. Click here for more on that.
That leaves us with names like Nigel Bradham, who impressed fans and coaches with his play a season ago. Then, there’s Nathan Gerry. He’ll be making the transition to a new position after playing safety at the collegiate level. The remainder of this group consists of youthful unknowns outside of Najee Goode. He’s familiar to Eagles fans, but no one expects him to turn into Ray Lewis during the 2017 season.
To make long stories short, the Eagles don’t just want Walker to produce. They need him to produce.
A nod from his teammates:
Jordan Hicks knows a thing or two about bouncing back from injury, and he had this to say about a month ago. “You can really learn a lot from being hurt. I know first hand. You can learn a lot being on the sideline, having a third-eye view on everything that’s going on.”
Hicks is one of the Eagles leaders on defense, and his rookie season came to a close prematurely, much like Walker’s, after he tore a pectoral muscle. He also had this to say about Walker’s recovery. “I think Joe did a great job of staying connected, staying in the film room, staying engaged in meetings, doing a great job of watching film. I think he’s taken a step, as far as physical-wise, he’s doing great right now, working out, looking strong, doing a great job in the weight room, and moving around a little bit.”
Now, that’s what we like to hear.